


This Animal I Have Become (A Bitten and Walking Dead Crossover)

by Queso0317



Category: Bitten (TV), The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Drama, Drama & Romance, Eventual Smut, Shapeshifting, Smut, Violence, Were-Creatures, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2019-06-09 06:39:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 46
Words: 126,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15261603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queso0317/pseuds/Queso0317
Summary: A crossover/alt. universe story about a girl named Bree Danvers who is a werewolf that gets stuck in her wolf form during the Zombie apocalypse. She meets Negan and the Saviors and her hope is that they will be the key to help her transform back into a human.I know, sounds crazy but just go with it! ;)Also I wrote this so that people who do not watch Bitten can read this without being lost so don't be afraid to give this one a try!





	1. I Can't Escape This Hell

Ok follow me, this is going to be a Bitten/Walking Dead crossover alternate universe. I am taking the SY Fy show Bitten and creating my own original character and then I'm going to bring her into the Walking Dead universe featuring life and the Sanctuary before the line up with Alexandria. I know it is alot and I will do my best to sequence things accordingly. 

For those of you who have never seen the show Bitten, it was a short term show about werewolves on SY FY that lasted only three seasons that was based off of a very good book series by Kelly Armstrong. I will only be focusing on elements that happened in the first season and I was going to use Elena Micheals for my main character but I decided to go with my own so I can write in more of my story line and make it more personalized than just following someone else's script. These are my two favorite shows that I can never get enough of and I have had this mash up in my head for a long time and I have finally decided to give it a go. I will try to write this so that the people who have never seen Bitten will still know whats up. 

I do hope I get a few readers on this. I know I have a lot going on here and this is mostly for me to just express whats in my head but comments and kudos would be nice. I hope you all enjoy!

There are about a million things that most people missed in the zombie apocalypse. The first thing would most likely be technology and having various accesses to the web and cell phones. Having endless amounts of information right at the convenience of your finger tips for just about anything one could think of. Another was running water and the luxury of taking a steaming hot shower after a hard day’s work. Some people missed air conditioning and others number one loss was not having a roof over their heads, grocery stores, shopping malls, and not having to worry about having your innards being ripped out and eaten right in front of you by a walker.

Not for Bree Danvers. What Bree missed was noise and everything it used to mean to her. She missed having intellectual conversations, loud concerts, music, laughter, and children playing. She even missed noises that she used pay no mind to such as morning traffic, a heavy sleeper snoring away, dogs barking, the sound of breakfast being cooked in the morning, background noises and most of all her own voice. In today's world, any noise could get you killed, or it was a reason to be alert. She had not been around living people for so long she was convinced that she was the only one left and even though in her old life she loved some good old peace and quiet, in this one the silence was driving her crazy. 

Bree had no conception of time since the world fell but she was guessing that it had been about three years since the dead took over. She lived in Stone Haven for most of her life with the Danvers clan and part of their pack since her first change and when things were starting to get grim and dangerous her pack leader Jeremy thought it would be wise for everyone to change to their wolves and vacate their home. Herds of walkers were developing rapidly around their property and they could no longer stay there because it was no longer safe. Long story short, she became separated from her pack and had been on her own ever since, wandering aimlessly hoping to find people and rejoin some sort of a civilization again. She was pretty sure her family was dead because she never caught their scent again.

She stayed in her wolf form out of convenience in the beginning and she supposed it was her body's way of adapting to this new way of life. As a wolf she could run faster and her senses were more tuned into her environment around her. She could heal rapidly and it was easier to get herself out of bad situations. Another major plus to staying a wolf was that she was immune to the disease. She had never been bit but she had killed her fair share by crushing their skulls between her powerful jaws and by contact she had swallowed their blood many of times. The only issue was that she stayed wolf so long and her body adapted in a way that now she couldn't change back. She wondered if it was because there were no more people, just the dead and her animalistic side took over. She still had a conscience and clear thoughts but whenever she tried to change back nothing would happen and she would get frustrated. Changing used to come so easy to her, sometimes she would fall asleep a wolf in the middle of the forest and wake up as a human but now she permanently remained a wolf and even though it probably was the one thing that kept her alive until this point, it scared her. She was afraid that one day she would wake up and no longer have her humanity and that she would be a wild feral animal through and through. Bree knew it was safer to be a wolf than a person in this new world but she would have loved to change back into a human from time to time, just to remember what it felt like. 

Bree mostly stuck to large forests and the woods because it was easier to run from the dead and there were plenty of resources there such as game to hunt and various streams and rivers, and most importantly, hiding places. Every now and then she would come across a town where she would briefly explore the outskirts, mostly to see if there was life out there. She used to avoid being around people but now she longed for it. If she could find a group of people or even just one person, it might be the key to help her change again but until then she was stuck. After so many unsuccessful searches she was beginning to lose hope and give up. 

Bree stood on top of a mountain over-looking a town that she just explored. As usual she did not find a trace or a scent of any living thing in this dead world and she was feeling hopeless and morbid. She collapsed on the ground with a sigh and closed her eyes. She drew in a long breath through her nose and all she could smell was death, death everywhere. Her sense of smell was so strong and their odor was so foul it imbedded in her nostril’s because it was everywhere. Even when the dead weren't physically there, their smell still lingered where ever they had been. She was surprised that she wasn't used to it by now but who could get used to the pungent odor of rotting decaying bodies.

She turned over and inhaled again and jolted up when she got a smell of something that wasn’t the dead. With her ears perked up she inhaled again and again to make sure her mind wasn’t just playing tricks on her. It wasn’t! The smell she was getting from the air was a mix of ethanol and carbon monoxide and the smell was getting stronger and stronger with each whiff. In a flash she jumped up and started chasing her nose to the smell. Her heart was beating like a drum in her chest and her feet barely hit the ground. She came to a small clearing in the mountain where she was able to see the road and when she stopped to gaze out she couldn’t believe her eyes!

There was not one but many big trucks in a line heading to the town that she had just scouted out. She kept smelling the air and blinking her eyes as if the trucks would vanish if she stopped. She was beaming with joy and she could feel it vibrating through her body and she ran down hill to get closer to them. The closer she got she could hear the rumbling of the engines and it might as well have been music to her ears. 

When she finally made it to the out skirts of town she immediately slowed down and tried to stick to the shadows. Yes, these were people but she didn’t know them and they didn’t know her. For all they knew she was a blood thirsty wolf and they could gun her down at the first sight of her. She had to play this cool and smart. She wanted to observe them for a bit to see if these were even people she wanted to associate herself with. Granted at this time beggars couldn’t be choosers but she could practically hear her leader Jeremy’s voice in her head telling her to lay low. She crept around the corner of a building trying to stay in the shadows. She followed their smell and stopped when she heard a thunderous tone of a man’s voice. 

She moved closer and she was blown away by all of the people standing in front of her. “Alrighty Saviors! You know what to do, let’s get in and get out, stick together and don’t do anything stupid, some of us don’t want to die today”, a tall man in a leather jacket ordered. Bree’s wolf spoke to her. ‘Alpha' it said and he sure was. Even from a distance she could tell that his men definitely minded him the way they scrambled around taking orders from him and the way they interacted. After a while of spying she learned that this alpha man’s name was Negan. 

He was quite a lot to take in. He was very tall, taller than any of the guys in her old pack and he looked very muscular wearing that black leather jacket. He had a wicked smile that Bree would have thought was charming, but she was more focused on the big barbed wire bat he had slung over his shoulder so casually. Even the way he strolled around screamed that he was an alfa to her, he was the only one that walked with pep in his step and without any sense of urgency unlike the rest of them. 

Bree was so fixated and intrigued by this man, she completely forgot to stay aware of her surroundings until she heard the familiar click of a gun cocking right behind her. Right away Bree’s conscience jerked in survival mode and she whipped her body around to face her attacker. Luckily, she was good at reacting quickly and she jumped out of the way before he tried to blow a hole in her. “DAVY!” She heard Negan scream. Bree growled fiercely at Davy as his gun remained pointed at her. Davy looked up at Negan as he came charging over to them and Bree found herself backed up beside a dumpster and a wall as he came over.

Negan roughly grabbed the gun from Davy and hit him in the shoulder with it. “What the fuck are you doing! I said no shots fired unless it is fucking life or death, you are going to attract every slime head in the god damn district and fuck us all” His voice boomed. As Davy tried to stutter up an excuse Bree tried to slide her way from behind the dumpster to make a run for it. She wanted to be around people again but this was not the way she wanted to go about it, it was all too much too soon.

To get from behind the dumpster she had to move closer to Negan which scared her and she caught his attention as she inched herself away from it. As he looked down at her his eyes softened a bit and he pushed his bat into Davy saying “Here, take Lucille” with the barbed wire side. Davy flinched but graciously took ‘Lucille’. 

Negan’s full focus was now on Bree as he let out a soft whistle and clicked his tongue a few times. Bree’s ears pulled forward for a moment, not sure what to make of this gesture. “That is the biggest wolf I’ve ever seen, be careful boss” she heard one of his men call out to him. Negan took his leather glove off of one of his hands and slowly and steadily eased it down to her. “Hey there” He cooed, confusing Bree on his sudden change of tone. Bree backed up a bit and she felt the hair rise on her back. He continued to back her into the corner and Bree pulled her ears back and let out a low growl to let him know that was close enough. “Hey now none of that, don’t be scared, it’s OK” Negan continued with his hand still out. 

Bree’s eyes never left his and Negan felt a little eerie at the expression she held as they stared back at each other. “Let me take care of it right now boss, I can whack it over the head with Lucille, we could probably get a nice pelt of out the coat” Davy said tightening his grip on Lucille. Bree growled showing her teeth. Negan’s eyes darkened as he looked over at Davy and said “You will do no such thing, this is a beautiful creature and it will stay that way.”

Davy backed off and Negan turned his eyes back to Bree. He dug into his jacket and pulled out a little bag of something. It didn’t take Bree’s nose long to figure out it was Jerky. She perked her ears up and she could feel her mouth start to salivate but she still remained cautious. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a meal that was other then something that was running around five seconds before she ate it. She stared at his hands with eager eyes. 

Negan threw a piece her way and the animal in her caught it in mid-air before the human in her had time to reason and inspect it. She could feel her mouth foaming in hunger and he threw another piece next to her which she chomped at. When she swallowed the last piece, she looked up and stared at him to see if he was going to give her any more. The human in her was ashamed at herself for begging, the wolf didn’t care. “That good? It must be” Negan said lowly as he threw her another piece making it land closer to him. 

The next piece he held in his hand and she realized that if she wanted it she would have to take it from him. She looked at his hand and then looked in his eyes in a way that chilled Negan. Her expression was so direct it was almost human to him and he didn’t understand it. She slowly crept from behind the dumpster. “Thatta girl!” Negan praised her as he could see her full body as she came out. She sniffed his hand and flinched a few times and then cautiously took the piece of jerky. 

“See, if your gentle to them they will be gentle to you, now get back to work and find me some cool shit” Negan ordered to Davy. After he scramble off Negan turned his attention back to Bree as she came a step closer for more. He handed her another piece and she took it easier than she did the first. After she ate it he slowly moved his hand close to her face. She sniffed his hand in apprehension and her wolf wanted her to lash out and run but her human side had wanted this for so long she made herself stay put. It was a risk she had to take. “See” Negan coaxed, “Nothing to be scared of.”

She flinched a bit and in return made him flinch. “Easy now, I’m not gonna hurt ya” Negan said in a gentle but stern voice. As she sniffed his hand she wanted to close her eyes and relish his scent. He smelled so good and it was a nice break after constantly having to breathe in the smell of corpses 24/7. She put her nose right up against his hand so it was touching and continued to take in deep breaths through her nose. His smell over-ridded her senses and completely shut her wolf out for the time being. He smelled like fresh cologne and cigars and it was so inviting compared to what she was used to. 

She was so caught up by his smell she didn’t realize that he was petting the top of her head with his other hand. When she realized this, she stopped sniffing and looked up at him wearily as he continued to coax her with words. He flinched back when he noticed her body go stiff and her ears perked up. Right away she started to frantically sniff the air and it was becoming so filled with the smell death that she could no longer focus on his smell. The dead were coming and they were coming fast!


	2. This is it, the Apocalypse

After making a brief eye contact with Negan, Bree took off running for the woods as Saviors were jumping to get out of her way. She had to see how far away the dead were and exactly how many because her nose was telling her there was a lot. She sprinted as fast as she could to another clearing in a mountain top and scanned the area. She walked around to see if she could get a better view and silently cursed when she saw just what she was dealing with. 

It was definitely a herd all right, and of course it was one of the bigger herds that she had seen. They were heading right for town where these new people were at and they were closing in fast. She suspected it was the gun fire that drew them from when Davy tried to shoot her. Bree scrambled around in her head for an idea even though there was not much she could do. They were so close that by the time she got down there it would be too late.

All the sudden a light bulb went off in her head and she threw her head back and let out a loud bellowing howl throughout woods. Maybe if she could direct their attention somewhere else they would leave the town alone and come her way instead. This plan was short lived when only a fraction of them broke off and stumbled in her direction. ‘Shit shit shit!’ Bree cursed before tearing off into the woods back to the town. She just found these people after thinking that the human race was extinct and she was not going to lose them. She had to do everything in her power to help them. 

On her way down, she began to hear gunshots which fueled more speed in her steps. She was already too late and even though it was practically suicide she still had to get back there to help them any way she could. Normally she avoided big herds and stayed as far away from the dead as she could to not end up in a risky situation. Her animal instincts were screaming at her to get as far away as possible but as a human it was not an option. She would rather die fighting to try to protect these people then go back to living a life of solitude now that she had finally found what she had been searching for all this time. 

As she tore into the town she took notice to a few of the Saviors down on the ground town to pieces. ‘Ohh no!’ She panicked internally as she frantically searched for the rest of them. The first thing she caught sight of was a dead cluster closing in on a guy standing on the hood of one of the smaller trucks. He had just fired off his last shot when the gun started to click to signify he was out of ammo. 

Bree jumped up and grabbed one by the head tearing it off of it’s rotting carcass of a body in one clean swipe. She did the same to the next one and then grabbed the shoulder of another one, bringing it down to her level. She stood over it and crushed the head in her jaws until it was no longer moving. This gave the man a moment to brace himself and he was able to pull out a knife and stab the last one that was closing in on him up through the jaw. Bree made eye contact with him before speeding off to help someone else and she saw that the man she saved was the Davy guy that tried to kill her earlier. ‘How ironic’ she thought. 

Most of the saviors had gotten away and were already speeding off in their trucks. Negan was using Lucille to make a clearing to get to his. As he swung the bat he left a trail of blood spatter and body parts up to his vehicle. He opened up his driver’s side door to climb in as a small herd closed in around him. When he climbed in they grabbed at his boots and pulled him back. Negan hung onto the door as he kicked out trying to get away from them. He turned over on his back and pulled out a pistol and fired away hoping to hit at least one so he could get his bearings. He managed to hit two and as they fell back another one came in its place trying to claw up his legs. 

Negan fired another shot and cursed when he realized it was empty. He went to go grab Lucille but was too late and he had to use his hands just to keep it from eating off his face. Just when he was starting to wonder if this is how it was going to end for him the walkers body was dragged off of him and ripped backwards. He heard snarling and growling and when he sat up he saw it was the wolf that he made contact with earlier. With wide eyes he watched her tear open the skull of the one that nearly did the same to him and then fight off another that came after her next. 

Before Negan could process any of this his survival instinct made him slam the door closed and he started the truck. When he started to speed off, Bree stopped what she was doing and began to follow him. When she got close to the tail gate she took one huge leap and dug her paws in the back while pulling herself up inside through the flaps. She collapsed in exhaustion in the bed of the truck and was panting. She couldn’t see much with it being closed in but she could feel that her neck and face were covered in blood and the smell of gas flooded her senses. 

They were driving for maybe about an hour before she felt the truck pull off to the side of the road. Bree stayed put and was on full alert for what came next. She could hear the sounds of multiple doors closing and people walking around while conversing about what just happened. She heard Negan get out and immediately start barking out orders to his men.

“I want a full list of everyone who is here and everyone who is not, Simon, I want you to go around and inspect everyone to make sure no one is bit, the last thing we need is an outbreak at the sanctuary, no body heads back until they have been cleared by you and ONLY you, are we clear”?

“Yes boss” Simon answered as he walked away to do the task he was delegated. “Keno, go make sure all the trucks are filled up, we are heading back, that is enough for this trip, man oh man I could really use a cold one right about now” Negan said as he slumped down on the side of a truck. Keno responded with a nod and he made his way over to the back of Negan’s truck where all the gas was. He pulled back the flaps and froze when he was greeting with a low growl. He jumped back when he saw it was Bree and fell on the ground with a surprised yell. 

Negan stood up with Lucille in his hands while a few of the others were alerted from the commotion. Keno stood up in a panic and faced Negan. “Boss...it’s...it’s the wolf” He stammered out, still jittery from the surprise. Negan frowned and strode over with Lucille over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was Bree in the corner of the truck bed, staring back at Negan. “Well well well, what do we have here” He said as he put his bat in Keno’s hands without taking his eyes off of Bree. Bree was nervous because she still didn’t know these people from Adam but she still had to give them a chance. 

Negan whistled and clicked his teeth just like before and held his hand out to her. “I do believe I owe you a thankyou for saving my life, come here girl, it’s OK, nobody here is gonna hurt ya, you have my word” He said as if she could understand him. Little to his knowledge she actually could. Bree crept to him keeping low as she sniffed him again and got a little closer then she did last time. Negan slowly moved his hand to her head and gently patted her again the way he did last time. He gave her that charming smile that she was coming to admire and she gave her tail a little wag. “She’s not going to hurt anyone, leave her be and grab the gas tanks, she will be alright” Negan told Keno as he petted her head with both hands. 

Keno looked back at Negan nervously and hung back in apprehension. Negan stopped petting Bree and he turned to face Keno, annoyed that he wasn’t moving. “What do you have shit in your ears or are you turning into a pussy on me, get the fucking gas tanks and start filling up, do NOT make me ask again!” Negan’s voice boomed shaking Keno to get moving. 

Bree went and laid down in the back, as far away from the entrance as possible to not make Keno any more nervous then he was. She knew that she had to be intimidating being that she was a wolf and bigger than the average size so she didn’t blame the fear that she was smelling on him. As soon as Keno had the gas tanks and he was out of sight, Bree jumped out of the beck of the truck and followed Negan.

He was having a talk with a few Saviors about what went down when one of them caught his attention and nodded to Bree standing next to him. He looked down and almost jumped in surprise at the sight of her. “JESUS fucking Christ!” He exclaimed as he slightly jumped back making Bree flinch. “Looks like you got an admirer” one of his men with a handlebar mustache said in amusement. Negan stared back down at her in deep thought and before he could react any further there was a ruckus in the trees and a walker popped out stumbling towards them. 

Before anyone took care of it Bree’s head jerked in its direction as she took off running at it full speed. She jumped on it, knocking it down while it was snarling at her and grabbed its head and roughly jerked it back and forth multiple times until it’s body went slack under her. She got off of it and looked back at Negan who was staring at her along with his men who were looking slightly disturbed. Without breaking eye contact with her he said “Simon, why don’t you grab some rope out of one of the trucks, I think I just found me a new pet” with a toothy grin. 

Simon looked back and forth between Bree and Negan and said “Boss…you do know it’s a wild animal, right? I don’t think that’s a-“, he was immediately cut off by Negan. “If Ezekiel can have a fucking tiger, I can have a fucking wolf, just think how fucking cool I’ll look strolling up with a wolf, now either you do as I say or I fucking leave you here and let you find your own way back to the Sanctuary, your call” Negan snapped back. “I’ll go get that rope” Simon responded back without a fight. “Good choice”.

Negan squatted in front of Bree, getting down on her level and he rubbed the back of her ears. “Now, how would you like to come back to the sanctuary with me, it’s no wilderness but it will keep you safe…how does that sound?” Bree gave her tail a little wag in compliance and she put her face up to his as they stared each other in the eyes. Negan squinted his eyes and gently shook his head back and forth. He felt that she had to have been previously owned by someone before the apocalypse with how surprisingly tame she was, there was no way she was a wild animal. The way she stared back at him was so human it was unreal. He didn’t want to just throw her back in the woods after everything he had witnessed. No, she was too valuable. Negan was feeling giddy at how much more intimidating he would be with a wolf her size next to him when he went to all his compounds he had underneath him. 

When Simon came back with the rope he tied it into a noose and tried to put it around Bree’s neck and she jumped back away from him. With her ears pinned back she growled at him showing her teeth basically saying there was no way in hell she was going to wear that. “Whoa whoa whoa, easy there girl” Simon said with caution as he held up his hands and stepped back. “Give it to me” Negan said as he roughly grabbed it out of Simon’s hands. He made a motion to put the loop over her neck and she backed away. She was willingly wanting to go with them but she didn’t want to be tied down like some animal. 

“It’s OK girl, this won’t be permanent, just so that you don’t scare the crap out of any more of my guys” he said. Bree still wouldn’t go near him and he squatted down again and reached out his hand to her. While she was focused on him one of his men stepped behind her with a catch pole that they used for the walkers. She began to thrash around, standing up on her heels and towering over Negan as she tried to get the wire from the pole off of her neck. Negan jumped back and it took two of his men to hold the pole steady. Once she tired out Negan ordered his men to put her in the back of the truck and to do it gently. 

They pulled her over to his truck and warily looped the noose around her neck, tethering her to the inside of the bed and then they slipped the catch pole off her neck. Bree laid down in defeat as she felt the truck start up and be on its way to her new ‘sanctuary’. She was beginning to think that maybe this wasn’t the best bunch to associate herself with but it wasn’t like she had many options. She would have jumped in the back willingly but she knew Negan didn’t know this. She really didn’t want to be roped up like a dog because she strongly hated that stereotype but what was she going to do? It’s not like biting them was an option. It felt like hours had passed and they were still driving. All Bree could think of is what her new home would be like. She was hoping this wasn’t a mistake.


	3. Still Caged Inside

For the first few days after Bree was brought to the Sanctuary, she followed Negan so close that she was practically running into the back of his legs. The sanctuary was so big and there were so many people, it was very over-whelming for her. Her senses were flooded with all of the new and different smells of everyone and it took some getting used to. 

She was taken off of the lead the moment she was brought through the gate and Negan was impressed with how she clung to him so he let it stay that way. Many people stared her way which stroked Negan’s ego more than hers. She found it to be a little intimidating being so new there but she didn’t blame them. It’s not every day you see a wolf running around and more so being kept as a pet like herself. Yes, everyone viewed her as Negan’s pet, much to her disapproval. If they only knew she was so much more than that. 

She began to fall into a routine at the Sanctuary after the first few nights. She was at Negan’s side pretty much night and day. She slept on the floor in his room, she ate when he ate, would go wherever he would go, including to his wives’ room. Yes, she got to meet the infamous wives of Mr. Negan. It did not surprise her that a man like Negan would have a harem but she still found the whole multiple wives concept odd and very boisterous. It was obvious that it was all about image with him.

By the way they interacted with him, she could tell that each one of those girls were getting something out of their marriage and that there was no real love relationship there. Every time they arrived the girls were all dressed in short and skimpy black dresses and it was like they were all putting on a show for him. He would spend a little time with each one and then bring the one that he chose for the night into one of the rooms. Of course, Bree never went in with them, she would always make it a point to lay down and stay away from everyone. Majority of the wives were afraid of her anyway. The only one who really paid her any mind was Sherry, a skinny brunette who she could tell really liked animals. 

The nights where he came to them would always end with Negan and Bree going back to his room. He never brought any of the wives up there and would never stay the night in any of their rooms. Every now and then someone would knock on his door to alert him about something but from what Bree understood, his room was off-limits. 

From the way that the people of the sanctuary acted, Negan was bad news. He was very nice with her but she would see him get rough with his men when he gave out orders and she had come to learn that he was like the mafia of the apocalypse. The people of the Sanctuary would kneel whenever they walked by like he was some sort of king…or an alpha. 

Like most of his business, she over-heard him talking with his right-hand man Simon about a bunch of other communities that he had underneath him and how they gave him supplies for his protection. She knew he was brutal because of how he talked and she knew that he had killed people. He was defiantly intimidating and she was sure that the world between people had changed drastically since the dead rose. She knew that there were probably people out there worse than him and even though she had only been there for a little while, she had to give it to him that his people were taken care of and he did have rules in place to help keep everyone safe. Was she lucky to have landed on the top at the sanctuary or was this the worst place she could have ended up?

Bree hadn’t gone with him to any of these communities yet but he kept talking about a place called the Hilltop that was his next place to conquer. As much as she feared to witness just how brutal he could be, she was also curious to see a new group of people and how they lived. Up until before she came, she had no clue that people actually existed. It felt reassuring knowing that she had a potential out if things with Negan went sour. 

Knowing the man that he was, she still didn’t want to leave him because she feared what the world turned into after the dead took over. Even though it was run by a dictator, the Sanctuary was still the safest place she had been since she split from her pack and fearing the unknown kept her there. Plus, from what Bree had been observing, the Sanctuary was on the top and in a world like todays it was probably better to be on top then on the bottom because who knows what kind of people made up the bottom. She felt safer with Negan. 

Changing back was still her first priority. She still had no clue how to accomplish this. There were a few times where she tried since she had been there and still no results. She didn’t understand it. No one had told her about there being consequences for staying wolf for too long and if she couldn’t find a way to change back soon she would go mad! It was getting to her more now that she was constantly around people and no way to converse with them after being by herself for so long. 

It had been about two weeks since she arrived to the Sanctuary and today was the day that they were going to visit the Hilltop. She was down at the loading station with Negan while everyone ran around to get ready for the trip. From what Bree understood, it was going to be about a two-hour drive to the Hilltop and there was a lot of talk about a man there named Gregory. Though Negan had never been there, he sure knew a lot about the place. 

Bree sat behind him as he went over the game plan with everyone and what was to be expected. She was nervous on how this whole thing would go down and she new it was a long shot but she was praying that no one was going to get hurt. After he dismissed everyone, they started loading up in the vehicles. Bree followed Negan to his truck and walked around the side to jump in the bed. She sat up and went to leap in the back but abruptly stopped when she heard a sharp whistle. “Ace!” Negan called out to her. 

Ace was what he had been calling her. At first, she thought it was a term of endearment but then she slowly began to realize that this was the name he gave her. Could have been worse.

Negan moved to the passenger side door and opened in. He clicked his teeth together a couple times and pointed at the entrance. “In” he ordered as he held the door open for her. Without hesitation Bree jumped in up front. She was happy that she could now be up in the cab, comfortable and with air conditioning. She was dreading having to do this journey in the back, hot, miserable, and holding on for dear life. Bree took this as a sign that she was moving up in the world. 

Negan spoke few words to her. He didn’t really speak to her like a dog (which she was thankful for) and he mostly used sharp one-word commands with her. When no one else was around he would sometimes talk to her about things that happened in the day or stuff that was going on. This was refreshing for Bree because she was not a dog and she often would just walk away when people treated her as such. This was one of the things that Negan did that made her feel human again and she appreciated these rare moments with him.

The drive to the Hilltop was pretty quick and Bree spent most of her time looking out the window and getting to know her surroundings. When they rolled up to the front gates Negan rolled to a stop and started calling out positions and orders through the radio. Bree took in her surroundings. It looked like an old plantation house with part of a neighborhood and a farm all in one. It was big and she wondered if there were as many people here then there were at the Sanctuary. Negan hung up the radio and let out a deep sigh. He stayed in the truck for a moment and Bree looked to him for what was to come next. “Well girl, here we go, make sure you watch my back okay?” he said rubbing her head and giving her a little smile. He grabbed Lucille and Bree jumped out his side and followed him close by. She was ready to see what the Hilltop was about.


	4. Lose Control

Once the Saviors bullied their way through the gates Negan got right down to business. They made everyone up front surrender their weapons and they made the few guards that were up front kneel on the ground while they searched them. Bree strayed back a little ways and took it all in. It was pretty rough watching them torment these people, there were a few times where Bree noticed them get rougher then necessary which gave her another insight to what the 'so called' Saviors were about. The air was heavy with fear and dominance and it made Bree uncomfortable. A few members of the Hilltop caught sight of her and she could see the terror in their eyes that she brought them. She had a feeling that is the reason why she was brought along in the first place.

Once it was fully established that they were there and they were there with bad intentions the doors to the plantation house opened up and two very different men walked out. The first man that caught Bree's eye was a taller man with long brown hair and blue eyes. He had a very sincere look about him and didn't appear to be a threat. He was wearing a black beanie and a dark heavy jacket which Bree couldn't wrap her mind around because it was so hot outside. The other man next to him was older with very shifty eyes. He was wearing dress clothes and was sweating perfusely and seemed to be quite twitchy. He walked up and greeted Negan with a smile and a handshake which Negan did not reciprocate. "Hello there, my name is Gregory and this here is one of my top guys, Jesus....What can we do you for?"

Bree's wolf told her 'coward'.

Negan pulled back his lips into his famous smile with Lucille resting on his shoulder. "Gregory! So nice to meet you. I have heard a LOT of interesting things about you, and this place....awe man, this place is even better in person, I just knew I had to come down here and see this gold mine for myself, your guys that we ran into off of 95 described it as a paradise...by the way....how are they doing?"

Gregory and Jesus nervously exchanged glances. "Bruce is still in a coma" Jesus finally spoke up making direct eye contact with Negan. Negan's expression started to turn into a look of amusement and before he could say anything, Gregory stepped in and said "Ohh don't worry about Bruce, he will be fine and the others are doing fine, we have doctors for that...all water under the bridge, nothing to hold a grudge about, let's just say message received and move on."

Bree stared at Gregory after that response and the only thing going though her mind was what the fuck? She got a sense he was a coward but she wasn't expecting it to be to this extent. "Well, that is a bit of a different reaction to the way we do things but I like it, I can tell your a smart man Gregory and when you hear what I have to offer you, you and your people will be just DYING to accept, now how about we go and finish this conversation inside, I wanna go check me out that house, it looks sick as fuck on the outside, you really know how to make a statement" Negan said very energetically. "Ohh how rude of me to not invite you in, yes yes, let's go inside, I have a pitcher full of iced tea that I can pour you a glass of while we discuss...the matters at hand" Gregory said with a shifty smile. "Well, to be honest I'm more of a Jack Daniels kinda guy, I'm sure in a house like this you gotta have something stronger than that" Negan replied clasping a hand on Gregory's back like he was a long time friend. Gregory hesitated and slowly said "I'm sure we can find you something, come on in."

Negan kept his hand on the back of Gregory's neck firmly as they walked to the doors with a few of his top men. Out of habit Bree followed and Gregory slowly turned back to look at her. "I just have one little request if it's not too much to ask" he said turning back to Negan. Negan hesitated for a moment but reasoned with himself and cocked his head to the side. Giving Gregory a big grin he said "You know normally I would say fuck no but since you are being so cooperative I think I can oblige within reason, tell me Gregster, what is it you want."

Gregory glanced back at Bree and then back to Negan. "Well you see, we like to keep the Barrington house as close to it's original as possible, this house has been around for many years and its more like a museum, you see it is a classic-" He started but was bluntly cut off by Negan. "Oh come on, just spit it out, no need to give me a history lesson cus' frankly...I really just don't give a fuck."

Gregory tensed up and said "I would rather you not bring your...animal...inside."

"Well slap my ass and call me Sally, you could have just said so! I mean I get it, you have a nice thing going here, I wouldn't want my wolf shitting all over it either" Negan said flamboyantly. Bree pinned her ears back at this remark and even though she was a bit disappointed, this would give her a chance to go check out this new community. When Negan and Gregory finally went inside and shut Bree out, she noticed she wasn't the only one. Jesus walked over to a nearby tree where he could observe everything and he leaned against it, anticipating when those doors would open with a verdict. They made eye-contact with each other and his expression softened when he looked at her. He didn't seem bad at all, he had a very gentle look to him and by his appearance she could see why people called him Jesus. She took a few steps toward him out of curiosity and he let out a little whistle her way. She perked her ears forward for a moment and then pinned them back and let out a low growl when he started coming near her. If Negan came out and saw her being friendly towards someone who wasn't part of the Sanctuary it might ruin her arrangement or worse get her killed. He was too unpredictable, she had no clue what he would do and she couldn't tempt it. Better to stay away. Jesus held his hands up in surrender and backed off to her relief.

Bree strolled around the grounds and got a good look at the Hilltop. It was big, but big in a different way from the Sanctuary. This community had more property with little houses and trailers scattered all over. They had a working farm with chickens, cows, and pigs and even a garden area too. Bree didn't want to get too close to anyone or anything because she didn't want to freak any one else at the Hilltop any more than she already had but from what she could see they had corn, lettuce, tomatoes, and many other crops to harvest. There was quite a few people here but after she walked around she realized they were drastically out-numbered by the Sanctuary.

After what seemed like an hour, the doors to the Barrington house were finally opened. Out came the Saviors first, and then Negan with his arm draped over Gregory's shoulders as if he just reminisced with an old friend. Bree picked her head up and started trotting over. She got a good look at Gregory and he looked like he just sold his soul to the devil himself, which she knew probably wasn't that far off. "Well Gregory, I do thank you for your hospitality and Simon here will be in touch with you soon for the first round of collections, I do hope we are not disappointed, you seem like a swell guy, I'd hate to have to..." Negan started as he held up Lucille and let to two hollow clicks. "Over a light load" he finished. "Ohh don't worry, I swear I will get my top runners out there and they will find you everything you need" Gregory said with sweat pouring down his neck.

They continued to say words back and forth but Bree could no longer hear them. She noticed a shady figure coming out from the side of the plantation house which turned out to be a younger boy, maybe in his late teens and there was just something off about him in her eyes he stood out among everyone else. It was almost like everything was happening in slow motion and the way he walked with his hands straight at his sides set off alarms in Bree's head that there there was just something not right. She continued to watch him as he made his way behind Negan and Gregory. Something in his eyes offset her and she just had a feeling so she started walking to be closer to Negan. As she walked up to him, Negan noticed her and started to give her a smile and reached out to pet her. It was then that the kid behind him pulled out something silver which turned out to be a knife and made a motion to stab Negan in the throat with it.

Before Bree could process a more logical way to react, she only had a split second to save him. She let out a fierce snarl and jumped over Negan and Gregory's shoulders causing them to dodge in surprise and ripped the boy down to the ground by the shoulder .Bree was in a frenzy trying to get the knife away from him as she wrestled with him on the ground. Before her conscience could stop her, the wolf in her took over and she clamped her jaws around his wrist until he let go. The boy let out a scream as he dropped the knife and Bree backed off. With her conscience self coming back to pilot she could taste his blood in her mouth. 'What have I done!' She thought, backing up as she felt shamed and panicked that she bite him.

In her world, when a wolf bites a person it is a very serious crime and was even punishable by death. The reason why this was such a great offense is because when a shifter bites a human, like the walking dead disease, it turns them, only this poor kid wasn't about to turn into a walker...he was going to turn into a werewolf.


	5. Welcome to the New Age

'Shit shit shit SHIT' Bree panicked, angry at herself for losing control. "Well what do we have here...was this a planned assassination attempt or are you people really that fucking stupid" Negan voiced deeply, putting the fear of God into everyone. Bree tuned him out. She stared at the boy still on the ground clutching his wrist and he was already starting to turn pale. 

Gregory was scrambling trying to smooth things over and all the Saviors were now pointing their guns at the members of the Hilltop. She could tell this was a spur of a moment thing and by everyone's reactions this was not planned. As Bree focused on the teenager, she came to a scary realization that this was going to come to an end with him dying, either by her or someone else. Having him turn into what she was was not an option. She was no Jeremy and had no clue how to handle this, and even if she did, it's not like she had many options being stuck as a wolf. She was really longing for the guidance of her pack and she dreaded having to try to handle this on her own. 

Jesus and who she assumed was the boy's mother came by his side to try to help him up and get him away from the situation. Bree bared her teeth and growled and before she could react any further Negan stepped in. "Don't you dare touch him! Him and I have a bone to pick and NO ONE who tries a stunt like that gets away with it!" Negan yelled, towering over them. Jesus backed off, raising his hands in compliance but the kids mother stayed by his side. 

Negan's eyes turned black as the boy cried out "My father is in a coma because of you, you piece of shit! You will pay for what you have done to him!"

Negan's expression slowly turned from pissed off to one of amusement. "Really?" He said, almost laughing it off. He squatted down to get on his level. "That fucking pussy was your father? Well, that makes sense, only a yellow-bellied coward tries to stab a man in the back, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree now does it?"

Before Negan could say anything more the kid cocked his head back and spit right in Negan's face. Negan turned his head to flinch away and then slowly turned back to look at him. Gradually he wiped the spit off of his face, looked at his hand, and then looked back at the mother and son in anger. "Look at you trying to prove you have a set of balls on you, well mission accomplished but it wasn't very smart on your behalf" he said before punching him in the face. 

Right away the boy jumped up and tried to tackle Negan. This was Bree's only chance...this kid could not make it out of here alive as much as it killed her. Bree reacted by jumping up and knocking him to the ground. She tore his throat out and made it as quick as she possibly could. When she pulled away there was no sign of life in his eyes and Bree knew it was over. The mother began to scream and sob and Bree backed off and retreated to Negan's side so she could grieve. 

For a few moments there was silence from everyone except for the sounds of the shrieking mother. "Well damn" Negan said gruffly with a hint of a deeper emotion. "That was....a lot...I hope everyone here learned a lesson here today, do NOT fuck with the Saviors, this could have all been avoided if you would have just complied. Now Gregory, for this little stunt, now I want all your shit waiting here for me by the end of this week instead of the next" Negan paused to process a reaction from Gregory.

Gregory was frozen in fear and shock from the whole scene that just took place in front of him. He stuttered a response but his jaw was shaking so bad he wasn't making any sense. His eyes were the size of golf balls when Negan approached him and roughly clasped a hand on his shoulder. "Yes..." Negan started to get a response out of him and waved his hand in a gesture as if he wanted him to finish the sentence. "Yes Negan...Sir...Yes, we will have your supplies" Gregory stammered out. Negan patted the side of his face. "Good man, see all you have to do is just go with it and things will be so much easier, nobody else has to die as long as you follow the rules, I expect you to make me and Simon here proud, until then, Get. Me. My. Shit!" Gregory nodded, still shaken up. He looked like he was going to pass out. 

Bree was ashamed of herself. She really didn't want to kill him and she knew there was a good chance that Negan would have killed him anyway but she couldn't have taken the chance and let him turn. Way more people could have died and it would have brought on another whirlwind of problems for her that she didn't think would be possible to deal with. Jeremy and the pack had to deal with newly turned wolves enough times for her to know they were bad news without proper supervision. She was hoping that she dealt with everything the right way that Jeremy would have approved of. 

If Jeremy were here, the first thing he would want her to do was get away from Negan. Bree knew it was bad to stay with him but with the way things were going she felt like it was better to be with Negan than against him at this point. She knew if she tried to escape and find another community that he could find her and make things worse. She did not want to put any more people in danger and despite his character, she still felt the safest with him at the Sanctuary. She also hoped in the back of her mind that with all the communities that he visits that maybe, just maybe she could find members of her old pack. 

Negan held the door open for Bree and before he could command her she jumped in. He got in on the other side and led the Saviors away from the Hilltop and back to the Sanctuary. The ride back was pretty quiet. A lot of reflecting was done by the both of them about the events that just went down and after a while Negan reached and put his hand on the back of Bree's neck. Bree tensed and looked at him, not sure what was going to happen next.

"You know, that is the second time you saved my life back there...most of my guys would have let me die but you, your somthin' else" He talked as he slowly stroked her. "I guess it's true that a dog is a man's best friend..well, you know what I mean" Negan paused for a moment and Bree could see he was in deep thought. He finally said "Lucille would have loved you...she had a thing for wolves".

To her surprise, Bree caught a sadness in his eyes that she had never seen before in him. For the first time it made her wonder who the real Lucille was and what the story was there. 

When they arrived back to the Sanctuary, the Saviors were running around, unloading the trucks and finishing up for the day. Bree followed Negan up to his room and retreated to her spot on the floor while he jumped in for a shower. When he came out he was in a pair of long black sweat pants and no shirt. He finished his routine and went to the mini bar in the corner of the room. Instead of grabbing a drink, he chose to grab the whole bottle and went over to the bed and sat down. 

Bree stayed where she was at, almost tuning him out. She was used to this routine and this was usually how they ended their nights with him showering, drinking and then passing out until the next morning. This time he stared at her for a long while. He eventually gave her a smile and patted the bed next to him. "Come on up Ace" He said. Bree picked her head up and stared at him like he had lost his marbles. "Come on girl, it's OK, you did so good today, you earned your place up here" he said patting the bed again. 

This time Bree did not hesitate. It had been so long since she had slept in an actual bed, she was excited to be able to experience it again. Luckily it was a big king sized bed because Bree took up half of it by sprawling out. She figured since he did offer she would take advantage. It felt so good and Negan gently pushed her aside and turned off the light so he could go to sleep. 

She was asleep for a few hours before she was woken up by Negan's deep snoring. Being woken from a deep sleep, she briefly forgot where she was and surprised herself when she almost tried to use her human voice to say "Nick, wake up, your snoring again". When she realized that she was a wolf and could no longer do that, her consciousness came back to her and she sighed. For a brief moment it almost felt like she was back home next to her old boyfriend Nick from her old pack, before they separated. She let out a deep sigh and tried to go back to sleep to forget the old memories which were now too painful to bare. 

She started to doze off but was abruptly awaken by her shoulder blades cracking. She jerked her head up, thinking that she was dreaming it but was crashed back down to reality when they started to rotate again on their own and let out an ear shattering crack throughout her body. 'You have got to be kidding me' She thought before she let out a howl of pain as the cracking and snapping drifted to her front legs. She wasn't as ready for what was to come next as she thought she was....


	6. Changes

Negan awoke to the sound of Bree crying out next to him. Assuming she was just having a bad dream he patted her on the back and told her to relax but jumped up when he felt her bones shifting under his hand. Throwing back the covers and turning on the light he quickly sat up. There was not much in this world that shook him up, but what was happening before his eyes made him go white. 

Bree's back continued to crack and twist and it felt like her muscles were being stretched through a taffy puller. This was the most painful change she had ever experienced and it was even worse than the first time she had changed with her pack. It had been so long since she shifted, her body was no longer accustomed to the transformations and it lost the muscle memory. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she was even going to survive though it. 

She stood up and ended up rolling off the bed while her legs were stretched out. She could feel the motion flow in a series of snaps and cracks all the way to her toes and she rolled around and thrashed in agony. She backed up into the window pane, catching the curtain underneath her and ripping it off the wall, still howling in agony as the curtain cascaded over her, covering her completely. 

Negan ran and grabbed Lucille and held her over his shoulder, ready to swing in an instant. He continued to watch the scene before him, wide-eyed and anticipating a potential attack. This was unlike anything he had ever seen before and he didn't know what was happening. This was definitely no bad dream on either end and he wondered if he should just put her out of her misery now but he was frozen in place, waiting to see what would happen next. 

Bree felt like her skin was on fire as her fur gradually started to disappear and her howls and yelps were starting to sound more like her own voice. Finally, her body calmed and the snapping and stretching sensations ceased. She was in so much pain from the change she didn't want to move and her skin felt hot and sticky. She could feel her muscles still spasm and twitch but for the most part the change was complete. 

Once she stopped moving, Negan's grip on Lucille tightened and he slowly began to walk over to her with caution in every step. He had no clue what was going to be under those curtains and he felt his anxiety build as he got closer. Negan saw the fabric moving up and down from her breathing, signifying that she was alive. He held a very intense look in his eyes and he used the barbed ends of Lucille to catch the curtain and pull it off of her. What he saw underneath was the last thing he ever expected to see. 

Bree flinched when the drape was pulled off. She was surprised to feel the movement of air on her skin and she looked up to lock eyes with a very disturbed Negan. He was sweating and his look was so intense that it chilled her sore bones. She looked down at the rest of her naked body and she couldn't believe it. She was finally human again! 

She had wanted this for so long, she didn't think that there could be a right time or a wrong time for her change to happen. This was definitely the wrong time and even though it may not have been the worst place for it to happen, it was certainly not around the right person. 

Bree picked her hand up and examined it, tuning out Negan, she smiled at herself. She ran her hands up and down her torso still surprised that she made it though the most awful change of her life and was human again. She looked back up at Negan, still smiling and he was still speechless. 

She made a motion to move but she began to feel very weak and dizzy as her body settled from everything that it was just put through. She tried to lift her body up but collapsed, feeling worn out and nauseous . Her face twisted in anguish and she tried to whimper but no sound came out. Black spots clouded her vision and the last thing she saw was Negan's toes before she passed out. 

Negan continued to stare at her for a few moments after she nodded off, still unsure of what to make of everything that just happened. He glanced over at the half empty bottle of booze, wondering if someone laced it with something and this was just a bad trip. Still clutching Lucille, he nudged her over with his foot to get a better look at her and to see if she was really out. 

From what he could see, she was beautiful. She had long dark hair and freckles with a little button nose. She was on the smaller side, slender, and Negan didn't understand how a girl her size could make a wolf as big as Ace was. Ace...He still couldn't figure out what happened there but he sure as hell was going to get to the bottom of this when she awoke. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out one of his white shirts and a pair of boxers. He walked over to her and gently lifted her body around to cover her up and then lifted her and set her on the bed. She was swimming in his clothes but they would work for now.

She didn't stir once as he laid her in the middle and then he went into his night stand and pulled out a pair of hand cuffs. He lifted both of her hands above her head and chained them to a bar in his head board. He stared at her again for a moment and shook his head back and forth, still not believing what just happened. He pulled up a chair next to his night stand and took another swig of the bottle and crossed his legs with Lucille on his lap. He then pulled out a pistol and set it on his nightstand next to him. 

Lighting up a cigarette, he continued to watch her sleeping form, anticipating when she woke. He had no clue what she was but he was going to find out, one way or another....

 

(Sorry, I know this was a short one. The next one is probably going to be a lot of backstory and talking and I want a little more time on how I want that conversation to go and I really want a whole chapter to focus on that. Anyway, while I am here I just wanted to say a big thank-you to all the wonderful comments I have been receiving on this! I really didn't think I was going to get this many readers or positive reviews but I am really happy that I have a few fans! You guys are awesome and so encouraging it really means so much! Your comments really push me to write more and they make me eager to get more chapters out. Thank-you again and I hope everyone continues to follow me on this bizarre story line!)


	7. Freak Like Me

Negan wondered if he should just put her out of her misery. Twice he had to remove her hand cuffs because she would start to change and then revert back to human and each time looked more painful then the last. 'What the hell is going on?' Negan wondered as he did his best to take care of her, not really knowing what to do. Feeling like he embarked on some scientific break through, he wanted to keep her alive so he could figure out what her story was and most importantly, what she was. Eventually her body calmed and she stopped shifting. 

Bree gradually moved her head back and forth, letting out a moan as she slowly came to. Her whole body hurt and it felt like her muscles had just been thrown through a mean grinder. She tried to turn into the fetal position but stopped when her hands wouldn't budge. She opened her eyes and looked up to see that she was handcuffed to the bed. Furrowing her eyebrows, she jerked her hands to feel how sturdy they were and she realized she was going no where any time soon. 

She heard a throat clear and jerked her head forward to see Negan starring at her with a very intense expression. Her eyes went wide and she felt herself begin to panic. In the short time that she had been at the Sanctuary, she had come to understand what kind of person Negan is and she knew that shifting like that in front of him wasn't good, aside from the fact that he wasn't part of her world. She took a shaky breath and swallowed. "Hi" She said, not really knowing what else to say. 

Negan shifted in his seat, surprised at her first choice of words. He studied her long and hard, long enough to make her feel even more uncomfortable than she already was. He let out a 'hmpf' and said "And to think I thought you were part Great Dane", his eyes never leaving her face. 

"Oh..yeah...hee hee...surprise" She responded with a pained expression trying to be comical, only Negan wasn't laughing. When she saw that he was in no mood for her jokes, the smile slowly faded from her face. The awkwardness was killing her. Negan shifted again, leaning forward as if he was really studying her. "You have some explaining to do sweetheart, you can start but telling me if you were born a freak or is this something that came later in life". That stung. Bree didn't even like the term werewolf, let alone freak and for the first time in a while he made her feel like one. Bree thought about her response carefully before answering him. "I was born this way...I had my first...change...when I was 16".

"Hmm..really now...are there any others like you?" Negan continued. "No...well, I don't know. I got separated from my pack when things started to get really bad and I haven't come across any like me ever since" Bree said looking away. "Your pack?" Negan inquired. "Yeah...they are the ones who took me in...it's a long story but they saved me and they were the ones who taught me about what I am." Bree was trying to be careful about what she told him. Negan smirked at her. 

"Well, it's a good thing I cleared my books today, we have all the time in the world, so please...continue" Negan said straightening up. Bree swallowed hard. "What do you want to know?" She asked. "Everything, you can start with your pack". "Ok...well there's my father, Jeremy. He took me in when he found out what I was and he helped me though my changes. He is my alpha and I don't think I would have made it without him. Then there's my brother Clay. He was my fathers right hand man and he is married to my sister-in-law Elena, who was more like a best friend to me. Then there is Nick...Nick and I were...together...before everything happened." Bree said sadly. 

"Together huh...did you love him?" Negan asked. "Yes" Bree said without hesitation. "I wanted to marry him...I guess that will never happen". "So this Jeremy...you say he is your alpha...if I didn't know any better I would say that sounds kinda kinky" Negan said grinning at her. Bree looked at him as if she was horrified. "Uh no! It's definitely not like that. The term Alpha in my world is someone who is highly respected among other Shifters. He is my leader and my mentor and I trust that he know's what's best for me and for the pack. I don't question him and i do as I am told by him."

Negan looked at her in deep thought. "Hmm... I get it. I like that, this wolfy thing don't sound so bad. I guess you could say I'm the alpha of the Sanctuary" Negan said proudly. 'More then you know' Bree thought to herself. 

"What's it like being a...whatever you are?" he asked bluntly. "You can call me a Shifter...and I guess its not conventional but I get by" Bree said, playing hard to get. "Shifter huh, that's funny because if I had to call you anything, werewolf would be my first guess". Bree flinched at that word. "Yeah, I don't really care for that term...makes me sound like I belong in a monster movie or something, I prefer Shifter" Bree said casually. Negan was getting fed up by her tone and he felt like she was toying with him and evading his questions. He acted like he was playing along with her response but then jumped from his seat and wrapped his hands around her throat. 

Leaning in close to her, through gritted teeth he said "You better start telling me the things I wanna hear or else I'm going to break this pretty neck of yours, chain your ass to the front gate and not think twice about it, now stop playing games, I want to know everything there is to know, and IF you cooperate, I may just take off these cuffs." Bree stared at him with frightful eyes and he let go of her neck and sat back down, his eyes never leaving hers. "Ok ok...Yes, I guess I am technically a werewolf, I hate the term but if that's what makes you feel better, then call me a werewolf. I changed into a wolf at the beginning of the apocalypse out of convenience and I never changed back or felt the need to change. I guess after a while I became stuck and I didn't know how to change back. For years I thought that people went extinct and then I found you guys. I stayed with you because I was hoped that if I was back around people again, I would change back" Bree cried. 

"And here you are" Negan finished for her. "So tell me, what was your grand plan after you got what you wanted huh? Were you gonna stick around and live off of the Sanctuary or were you gonna high-tail it back to the woods?"

Bree looked down and then looked back up at Negan. "I want to stay here" Bree stated. "And why is that exactly?" Negan interrogated. Bree internally rolled her eyes. She knew that she was about to give him a huge ego boost. "Because...the Sanctuary is the safest place. Everything that you built here is amazing and you have such a strong community. I am not stupid. I know there are other communities out there but yours is rising to the top and I would rather be with you then against you. I've been following you around for the past few weeks, I know what you are about and I know what you are capable of." 

Negan looked pretty proud of her answer. "Smart girl, I wish I could say the same about you" he said giving her a grin. "So...say I let you go....what happens next?" Bree looked down in deep thought. "Well...I guess that's up to you....I don't really think I'm in the position to call the shots" she said looking up at her tethered hands. "Well you got that right...how about this, Ideally what do you want to happen?" Negan prodded. 

"Well ideally...you let me go...and I work for you...part of being what I am gives me certain advantages. I have a strong sense of smell...I can smell the dead coming from miles away and sometimes I can even pin point how many there are, my blood can withstand the infection meaning that my chances of turning into a walker is zero, I have sharp hearing and I'm just great company to have around" Bree said, being sarcastic at the last part. 

Negan stared at her. "Well all that sounds amazing and I would love to have you on my team BUT, you see I don't know you or your sense of truth so if you wanna go that route, you are going to have to prove it to me." "I can prove it!" Bree said confidently. "Give me any test and I'll show you" She dared. 

"Oh don't worry doll, I have a few things up my sleeve. Until then, any other perks to being a wolfy that I should know about?" 

Bree hesitated. "No, I told you everything, that's all there is" She said, hoping her poker face was as strong as the cuffs that bound her. "For your sake I hope so" Negan said as he went in his dresser drawer to pull out the key to her handcuffs. He walked over to her and undid the lock and she sat up, wincing as she massaged her wrists. "Come on, were going to go see Carson, get you checked out, you gave me a scare there last night with all that freaky shit" He said. Bree went to go stand up and almost fell down from her muscles being so weak. Negan caught her before she hit the floor. "Ah! Sorry..I...I can't stand...it hurts" She cried as she hung on to him. 

Negan rolled his eyes. "Alright, here we go, upsy daisy" He said as he hoisted her up in his arms. Bree gripped his neck and he headed out the door. "It's Bree by the way...Just thought you should know" She added as she tried to adjust herself in his arms. Negan gave her a smirk. "Bree huh?...I think I liked Ace better."


	8. Sign with the Devil

(Hope no one hates me at the end of this, enjoy)

 

As Negan carried Bree to the doctors, he couldn't help but think about the benefits of having her on his team if her story turned out to be true and if she was everything she said she was. She would be an excellent asset on runs and he believed that together they could do great things. But first, he would need to break her. Even though she probably had a good idea who he was and not to fuck with him, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her story then she let on and he sure as hell was going to find out. 

When they arrived to Carson's, he gently set her down on one of the beds and pulled Carson outside. Bree let her eyes wander around the office and she couldn't believe how much medical supplies they had. She had never been in Dr. Carson's office before but she was impressed. It looked like a real hospital room and she took notice that they even had some tools to do minor surgeries with.

Negan and Carson came back in and she noticed that Carson was looking at her differently then when she came in. He was looking at her as is she was going to pounce at any moment and she had a feeling that Negan gave him the low down about her. Bree tore her expression from him and glared at Negan. 

"You told him!" She cried out in anger. Being a Shifter had been something that she was forced to keep a secret her whole life. Being what she was was dangerous to public knowledge for obvious reasons and she couldn't believe that Negan would tell someone just like that. Carson looked at her with apprehension in his eyes and Negan said "Hell yeah I told him. Take a look around sweetheart, we are in the zombie fucking apocalypse...you're not the only supernatural freak running around here anymore. The time has gone for secrets, the jig is up, get used to it doll."

The term 'freak' was really starting to get to her.

Bree shook her head back and forth. She felt like she was about to lose it. She didn't even want to think what Jeremy's reaction would be if he were here, he would flip! "No..no no, this was not your secret to tell, you can't do that, you don't understand my family has kept this secret for centuries. My family would-" Bree started but was cut off.  
"Oh I sure as shit can tell whoever the fuck I want. Your family is no longer here. You are under my thumb now sweetie, I make the rules here and this is how it's gonna be. I plan to let every single one of my men know what you are so you can't pull a fast one. I want everyone to know what they are up against with you so there will be no surprises."

Bree started to cry. "Fast one? What are you talking about? I told you that I wanted to stay and work for you, what more do you want from me?"   
Negan bent down to her level and stared at her hard. Gently stroking her cheek and wiping her tears away he said "All in good time."  
Bree looked back at him with her eyes a mix of horror and confusion. She felt like she messed up by coming here and maybe it was best to live a life alone and away from people. Maybe she should have just let her wolf consume her and take over who she was. That's what Jeremy would have done if their secret risked exposure. Before the world fell, letting a human know about the Shifter world was a crime that was punishable by death for everyone who was involved. She wondered if there would be any mercy for her if she ever saw any of her pack again. 

"Carson, do your thing" Negan ordered as he idled in the doorway. Carson nodded and began checking her vitals and doing basic check-up procedures. Bree laid there and let him do whatever, still in shock and yet numb at the same time. Every so often she would glace at Negan through narrowed eyes and he would give her a grin that she wanted to smack off of his smug face. 

"Alrighty, that does it, I just need to draw a little blood and then we are done here" Carson said as he went to reach for a needle. Bree jumped up and about fell off the table. "No..I don't want that done, it's fine, you don't have to worry about that" She said nervously, inching away from him. With that Negan charged in the room. "Guess again wolfy, your getting it done" he ordered.

Poor Carson rolled away in his chair, giving them space to work it out. When living with Jeremy and the pack, they never went to the doctors or to the hospital in fear of exposing their secret. It was out of the question and anytime they needed stitches or anything, Jeremy was the one to perform it. Granted the secret was already out but Bree got a bad feeling and something felt off. Maybe it's because this was another thing she knew Jeremy would be against. "No I am not, my body, my choice, you are not taking blood from me, I prefer it to stay in my body where it belongs and that's final" Bree said firmly.

Negan sighed and rolled his eyes and strolled behind her. He roughly clamped his hands on her shoulders, giving them a little rub and he felt her tense up from the contact. "You see, that is where you are wrong. What you are failing to grasp is that I practically own you now, you staying here at the Sanctuary means you. Are. Mine".

Before Bree could react any further he latched his arm around her neck and put her in a choke hold. Her initial reaction was to pry his arms off of her but Bree was too weak from the change to fight back so she had no choice but to give in and cry. Negan felt her body slacken in his grasp and he gave Carson a nod to signify that he was good. 

After Carson drew a few vials of blood, he noticed that the pin prick was already starting to heal before he put the bandage on it. He gave her an inquiring look but didn't say anything to Negan. Negan let go of her and patted her on the back. "See, that wasn't so bad now was it, all that cryin' for nothing. Make sure you give her a lolly pop Doc" Negan teased. 

Bree didn't answer and looked away in defeat. Negan noticed this and his eyes softened. "Carson, can you give us a moment?" Negan asked, his eyes never leaving Bree. Carson nodded and left the room like a bat out of hell. Negan pulled up a chair to the table and stared at Bree. She wouldn't look at him and the look on her face was sad, like the reality of her situation was just now hitting her. 

Negan reached out a hand and gently cupped her face with his hand while rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "I know this must be hard for you and I am sorry that it had to go down this way. I realize that we may have gotten off on the wrong foot here and I wanna make it right. How about i make you a deal?" Negan asked, sounding sincere. Bree looked up in confusion. "What deal?" She asked cautiously. 

"I will agree to only tell a just a few of my top guys about what you are...just Simon, Gavin, and Dwight, that's it. In exchange, I want you to become a wife. Becoming a wife will help me keep a better eye on you and it will offer you a protection here that will make you untouchable. It's a win win darling, what will it be?"

Bree stared at him in horror. Why was he asking her to be a wife? He didn't even know her! She supposed that things were different now and time could be short but damn! She knew his definition of wife wasn't stereotypical but still. The only response Bree could think of is why?

"Because, who wouldn't want to marry all of this and honestly, what are your other options? Risk potential exile from your dead but might not be dead family and have everyone here see you for the freak that you are or stand by me and help me rule this place, help me keep that better community that you talked about earlier and be untouchable. Together we could be on top of the world. All you have to do is say yes. And as a bonus, you don't have to work for points! What do you say?"

Bree really wanted to tell his crazy ass no but as she listened to what he had to offer, it didn't sound too bad. She wasn't thrilled about anyone knowing her secret but a handful of people was better than the whole Sanctuary knowing. She tried to think of what Jeremy would want her to do and she couldn't think of an answer. Granted, it's not like it was a real marriage and she knew that Negan would never force himself on her so what did she have to lose. 'Your dignity' she heard her wolf say to her. 

Bree finally looked up at him with wide eyes. He still held that caring expression and it made Bree feel secure. "Would I have to stay with the other wives?" She asked. Negan smiled. Putting his hand on her leg he said "Not if you don't want to. Hell, you could stay with me for the time being until your feeling better, you have already been living with me for the past few weeks so no difference there and then we can get the room next to me ready for you, See, I can be a reasonable guy. I can understand that it might be hard for you to be around them, given what you are."

Bree didn't know if she was feeling lightheaded from the blood that was drawn from her or if it was still an after effect from the change but he was starting to make sense. She let out a deep shaky sigh and then looked him in the eyes. "Ok, I'll do it...I'll be your wife." She was hoping that she wasn't going to regret this. "But I have a condition as well" She stated. Negan grinned at her. "And what condition is that" He mocked. Bree cleared her throat. "Never. Ever. Call me a freak again."


	9. Revenge

About a week at the Sanctuary had passed and Bree was starting to feel like herself again. Her and Negan's arrangement stayed pretty much the same though she did eventually get move into her new room...next door to his. He never forced her to do anything but he sure did try to persue her. He was flirty any chance he got and even after being shut down by Bree multiple times he still tried her. She was beginning to get used to it and she learned to ignore him. 

In the short time that she had been there she made a few friends. There was Tina from the commissary, a sassy older women who Bree admired for the way she stood up to the Saviors and her husband Tony who was basically one of the Janitors from the Sanctuary. She started to get to know the wives a little better but the only one who really gave her the time of day was Sherry, who every now and then would have meals with her in the cafeteria.

Eventually the time came where Negan wanted to test out Bree's skills and as much as Jeremy would be against this, she was still kinda excited to prove herself. There was an old abandoned military base about three hours from the Sanctuary that Negan has been scouting out for a while now. It had been over-run with walkers but over the past few weeks Negan's men had been clearing the majority of them out and now it was time to raid the place. When they got there, Negan did his usual barking out orders on how this was going to go, Bree stayed close by and listened to his instructions. "Alrighty now, we will divide up into three groups and go through each building in teams, we will go in grid formation and make sure everyone's ass is covered. We will start from the front of the compound and work our way though the back and make sure you search every nook and cranny. I want these trucks pack with supplies, I'll take-" Negan was just about through before he was cut off by Bree. "Whoa wait a second....Wouldn't it make more sense if we start from the back and work our way up to the front? We would get a better lay of the land that way and it would prevent any surprises".

Everyone got really quiet and Negan dropped his expression and glared at her. Bree honestly didn't feel like she was stepping out of line but the reaction she was getting made her think otherwise. "Excuse me, but I don't remember this being a democracy...I don't recall putting out a suggestion box and I sure as hell don't recall giving you or anyone for that matter the OK to call the shots! Now just because you have these so called 'advantages', it don't mean shit until you prove it and even when you do that don't give you the right to undermine me."

Bree widened her eyes and threw her hands up. "Alright alright, jeeze, was just a suggestion, I wasn't undermining you, no need to be so touchy about it."   
Negan frowned at her and bent down to her level. "You know just because you are my wife now don't mean I won't hesitate to throw you over my knee in front of everyone, do NOT push me". He was so close to her now she could feel his breath against her skin. Bree swallowed hard and nodded, pushing past him to go through the gates. 

It was then that Simon spoke up. "You know she may have a good point...I mean we did clear this place out to the best of our ability but it's a big place, there might be more...". Negan turned his glare to him. "We stick to the plan" He growled and Simon backed off. After they broke up into teams, Negan made it very clear that Bree was to be with him. After a dramatic eye roll, Bree reluctantly followed him to the first building. One of the guys who was with them began to hammer at the door to break the lock. Bree was close by and she held a hand up when she caught a whiff of something. Pressing her head against the door she smelled and listened. "There's a cluster inside...maybe three or four, I can't tell".

Turned out it was four walkers and Negan's guys cleared them out in record timing. Negan smirked at her. "Lucky guess" He said, still not sounding convinced. Bree glared at him and got to work with the others, bringing boxes out. She was assuming that they were in some kind of infirmary, because there was a stock pile of medicine and tons of hospital equipment. After walking back from loading her fourth box, her nose caught a whiff of something familiar. She paused and sniffed the air. It was faint, distant, but definitely in the compound somewhere. Bree couldn't place the scent but it was certainly familiar. Curiosity got the best of her and she looked over to Negan, who looked like he was busy writing in inventory so she seized her moment and followed her nose. 

It got quieter as she moved two rows of buildings away from where they were being raided. She was out of sight from the trucks and from Negan as she began to wander, in search of what this smell was. It was definitely from her past and even though she couldn't pin point what it was, it brought deju vu to her nose. As she got closer, she began to run as she realized that this smell was wolf. It led her into some sort of living quarter that she would imagine a higher up ranking official would stay at. She slowly opened the door with caution and held her hands up, ready to defend herself at a moments notice. When she realized the room that she entered was empty she relaxed a little and looked around. It was wolf alright. The smell was so strong it was almost nauseating. It was not a pack-related member and Bree still couldn't pin-point it. As she began to explore she noticed there was clothes, wrappers, and garbage everywhere. The place was definitely lived in. She had to find out who this was before the Savior's did, there was no telling what this wolf would do. 

Creaking a bedroom door open, Bree stepped inside, examining her surroundings. She didn't hear the shuffling behind her until it was too late. All the sudden she was picked up off her feet, being lifted in the air and thrown against the wall with force before she could react. When she hit the wall it knocked the wind out of her and she rolled over gasping for air, her eyes laying on her attacker. "Ca..Caine?" She stammered out as her heart pounded in her chest. 

It was Zachary Caine. Zachary Caine was a non-pack related werewolf who her family had bad blood with for years. Though his quarrel was not so much with Bree but more so her brother Clayton, they were still enemy's by association. Bree laid on the floor, her head pounding from the impact. "Little Bree Danvers...Wow, never thought I'd see you again, I thought you were dead" Caine said closing in on her. Bree's eyes were trained on him as he moved. "It's a shame, you don't have your family to protect you...at least not now...Did Clay ever tell you what he did to me?"

Bree glared at him. "No, my family tried to keep me out of most of their....political affairs with the mutts, they said I was too young at the time...I'm sure whatever you did you deserved it" She growled as she tried to sit up. Caine kicked her in the ribs, sending her back down. "Yeah, I'm sure Jeremy wouldn't let anything 'taint' their image of them to you...You know, I never had the resources to make them pay for what they did, but I guess fate has a funny way of manipulating the cards."

Bree was usually left out on the details of the pack's political business because of how new she was and they considered her as an omega. She had ran into Caine once with Nick, before the blood turned sour but his name had been passed around enough times for her to know he was bad news. Because Caine was not pack affiliated, he was considered a mutt and he among many others was constantly policed by the pack to make sure they follow the rules to keep their existence private and that they never settled in one place. She knew that he was one of the ones that gave her pack a hard time about this. 

Caine towered over and roughly reached down to grab her jaw. He was so much bigger than her, she felt small and frail in his grasp. Breathing in deeply, he smelled her neck and smiled. "Ahh....you know, I thought Elena smelled good but you...she's got nothing on you...you smell..younger" He said taking another whiff. Bree Cocked her head back and head-butted him in the nose, hearing a loud pop as blood steamed from his nostrils. "YOU BITCH!" He yelled as he grabbed her up by her shirt and back-handed her in the face. Bree cried out and he threw her across the room like she was a rag doll. 

"You know, a few weeks ago I ran into Jeremy and your beloved pack. Nick was so desperately looking for you so I figured you were dead. I didn't want any trouble with them so we just passed by, but by the look in his eyes I could tell he was starting to believe that you were gone, that you really had your organs ripped out by the dead and spread all over the pavement, at least now he will no longer have false hope when they find you." Caine said with rage and hate dripping from his words. "Th...Their alive?!" Bree cried out. "Yeah and I'll make sure that if they ever find your body, they will know who it was that did it, mark my words". 

Bree crawled back and tried to look for something to defend herself with as Zachary continued to close in on her. He stood over her and picked her up by her shirt again until her feet were no longer touching the ground. Bree flinched as she got prepared for the impact and Caine said "I'll feel better leaving this world knowing I got my revenge for all the shit your family put me through".

"Go...Fuck...Youself" Bree breathed out before spitting in his face. It was a brazen move, but Bree wasn't going to go out begging for her life. Zachary jerked in reaction and then shook his head back and forth, still smiling. He cocked his fist back and before he could hit her he paused to the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat behind him. He slowly turned around to see Negan in the doorway. "Now, is that any way to treat a lady?" he said with Lucille in his hands, ready to strike....

 

(So I decided I am going to do a prequel spin-off of this on Bree's past and how she became part of the pack. It's not going to be long...maybe 5 chapters, we'll see but I pretty much have the whole story worked out in my head. I just have a few small details to lock down but i'm planning it to be a cutesy supernatural love story between her and Nick. I should be posting the first chapter in a few days so be on the lookout for it!)


	10. Bigger Than These Bones

"Negan, be careful...hes like...me" Bree stammered out, having no luck trying to fight out of Caine's grip. Caine looked back and forth between her and Negan as a sinister smile spread across his face. "Oh you have got be kidding me...You actually told him what you are, wowza, never every thought it would be one of Jeremy's kids to spill that secret" Caine snickered. 

At this point, Bree was trying to kick back to use her feet to push away from him but Zachary shrugged her off and tossed her to the side like she was nothing. As Caine turned around to face Negan, Negan said "Ohh yeah, I know all about the freak show that you belong to, what I don't understand is if you are as tough as you THINK you are, why are you picking on little ol' Bree over here?"

"Why am I picking on little ol' Bree...hmm, well lets see, it could have something to do with the fact that her so called family killed my father over pack status, or that they have run me out of every place I have ever tried to settle down in and call home, regardless, her family and mine have issues. What I want to know is how much about us did little ol' Bree Danvers here tell you? Hm? Did she tell you about how easy it is to join the club, our freak show as you call?" Caine said clicking his jaws together in a biting motion and stalking towards Negan. 

Negan tightened his grip on Lucille and said "So that's how it works huh, you bite me...I become like you, that's all there is to it, you know it doesn't sound so bad...Except for one thing...". Caine was beginning to close in on Negan. "What?" he growled. "I'm not a fan of getting fleas" Negan said before he swung his bat back and tried to hit Caine.

Caine jumped back to dodge the attack and then threw his arm back and clothes-lined Negan to the floor. Caine kicked him in the ribs once and before he could kick him a second time, Negan pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the shin, sending Caine tumbling down next to him. They scuffled on the floor for a while but eventually Caine got the upper hand and started to choke Negan. As Negan struggled, Caine smiled at him sadistically. "Well your no Danvers, but this is a start" He said as he gradually put more pressure around Negan's neck. 

All the sudden, Bree tackled Caine to the ground, using momentum to grab his shirt and throw him halfway across the room. She looked back to see if Negan was OK, and he was coughing while trying to catch his breath. He gave her a little nod to let her know he was good. As Caine was in the process of getting up, Bree ran up to him and caught him in the back of his neck with her elbow. She was running on anger now instead of fear and as he was trying to get up again she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him into a table. Before he could get his bearings, she was on top of him, doing everything she could to keep him down. 

Caine rolled over on his stomach and swiped her foot out from underneath her, sending her crashing down next to him. He tried to get up to go after Negan, who managed to pick up Lucille, but before he could get to him, Bree grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back. Caine made a move to punch her in the face but she dodged out of the way and shoved him further away from Negan. The one thing she remembered her pack saying when they mentioned the Caine's was that they were very large but very slow, and she was trying to use this to her advantage. 

Now she was standing between him and Negan and Caine continued to come at her. She dodged most of his blows but got hit a few times when her moves got sloppy from exhaustion. Negan saw that she was beginning to lose her momentum and he gradually stepped around them with Lucille. When he saw his opportunity he struck Caine in the back as hard as he could, leaving red dots of blood on his shirt where he connected. 

Caine flinched and cried out in pain and turned to face Negan with rage plastered on his face. "Come on you big mother fucker, come at me" Negan taunted. Caine smiled and shook his head back and forth and went to go charge at Negan, only to be pulled and thrown back by Bree again. This time, Caine got wise to her moves and he dropped to the floor, making Bree trip over him. Negan went to go hit him again with Lucille but Caine dodged it and grabbed the bat from underneath the barbs and held it. laughing, in one motion he jerked the bat out of Negan's hands and tossed it to the side. He punched Negan in the face, splitting his lip open and threw him against the wall with force, temporarily knocking him out. Now it was just Bree and Caine. 

Panting with a crazed look in his eyes, he stalked towards Bree, only stopping to pick up Negan's knife that was on the floor. Bree's eyes nervously shifted back and forth from the knife to his face. She was scared. Caine paused and breathed in deeply. "Ahhh.....Fear..." He said   
as he acted like he was enjoying the smell. "I'll be sure to let your sweet Nick know that is what you smelled like before I gouged out your throat, I'll let him know you...move on, as well" He said motioning to Negan. 

"Yeah, I don't know, she was with some guy....he was a human, she gave her life protecting him, oh, and I should add that you told Mr. Romeo over there about our kind, yeah that would add a nice touch of betrayal" Caine narrated, making Bree angry. She braced herself for his attack and she did her best to dodge him but he managed to cut her a few times. She tried to use her size as her advantage and she grew out her claws to give her more leverage. She dodged him by sliding herself between his legs and popping up behind him. She took one swipe and mauled a series on lines down his back, making him flinch. More blood appeared on his shirt as he whipped around to face her. 

She barred her teeth in rage as he continued to swipe the knife at her, this time with her missing all of his attacks. He got too close on one and she used a move that Clay taught her. When he swiped his arm past her, she grabbed it, sending him tumbling into her. She kneed him in the stomach, causing him to bend down, and still holding on to his arm, she bite him as hard as she could. Caine cried out in pain and dropped the knife and Bree kicked it out of his reach. 

At this time, Negan was coming back to consciousness as he laid eyes on the commotion in front of him. Bree now had Caine on his knees, and she was standing behind him with her forearm locked around his throat. Caine was trying to fight her off but Bree held her ground. Negan stood up, grabbed Lucille and staggered over to him. "Not so tough now are ya?" Negan scoffed at him. Caine answered with gurgles and huffs as he continued to pry Bree off of him. Negan smirked. "I may not be a bad ass werewolf, but hell, I guess you gotta work with what you got" Negan said cockily as he jabbed Caine in the stomach with Lucille, making him bend over. "Such a shame, if you only played for the right team, you could have been quite the asset, oh well, I guess now we will never know" He said before bringing Lucille all the way up in the air and cracking it over Caine's skull. 

Bree let go and jumped back, not anticipating Negan's actions. Blood sprayed on her face from Lucille's barbs as Negan swung and swung again, until there was nothing left of Caine's head. When he was done Negan collapsed in a near by chair. Bree's body went slack on the floor from exhaustion now that the fight was over. As both her and Negan tried to catch their breath's, Negan looked over to Bree and asked her if she was OK. Bree gave him a tiny smile and said "I..I think I should be asking you the same."

Negan chuckled and walked over to her. She now pulled herself up against the wall and slowly stood up with him grabbing her arm. He looked down at her cuts that Caine gave her with the knife and then grabbed her chin gently to examine her face. Her lip was busted in two places and she had several bruises on her cheeks and forehead. "That asshole gave you a pounding, who was he?" Negan asked.

Bree sighed and looked down. "People who are...like me...we have rules to abide by..rules that keep us safe...hidden, from existence...my pack...my family...they are the ones who enforce those rules. There are shifters who do not reside with in the pack...mutts...it's my family's job to make sure they are following the rules...there are many out there who despise us for this. Caine was one of them."

"So what? Were you part of some sort of werewolf mafia or something?" He questioned. "No, but it's not far off...I wasn't really aloud to deal with any of my family's business. I was considered Omega so I was kind of the baby of the family, they tried to not include me in their...affairs."

Negan studied her hard. He looked at her with such an intensity, Bree felt it difficult to maintain eye contact. After a moment he nodded his head slowly and said "Come on, let's get you back to the trucks, we gotta get you to Dr. Carson, those cuts look nasty" and he led her to the door with his hand under her arm for support. Bree was fine to walk but she didn't fight him. She was concerned by the look on his face and that she couldn't really read it but she supposed he had to digest the information she just threw at him. She had a feeling that this was not the end of her explaining. 

After avoiding many questioning looks from other Saviors and Dr. Carson, Bree was finally bandaged up and relaxing in her room. She thought about all the events that transpired throughout the day. Most of all she thought about her family and now that she had confirmation that they were alive and looking for her. She was filled with hope that she would see Nick again and she was eager to go to other communities to see if they took up residence in one of them. She felt like her purpose had been re-instilled in her and for the first time since arriving at the Sanctuary, she thought about leaving. She wondered how Negan would react. Would he understand? Would he let her go? He was such a complicated man, she didn't know what reaction she would get. 

Then she wondered if she should even tell him at all. With her having the 'wife' title, even though it was not practiced it was still something that was important to Negan and his image. If she left, what kind of message would that send to the rest of the Sanctuary. Even though she wasn't sure, she didn't think leaving the Sanctuary was a liable option, especially not for her and the position she was in. As she wallowed away in her thoughts...she heard a knock on her door. 

Perking up, she cautiously walked over to the door and cracked it open. Of course, it was no one other than Negan himself, and she could smell him before she saw him. He reeked of booze and he looked very disheveled compared to his normal appearance. "Negan? What's going on? Are you OK?" She asked as he pushed his way into her room. She closed the door and turned around to face him. He was stumbling around a bit and she could tell he was drunk. Very drunk. 

His usually slicked back black hair was in curls around his forehead, instead of his leather jacket he was wearing a white wife-beater with his grey jeans and a pair of black socks. It was odd to see him this way. He stayed quiet and looked down at her through hooded eyes, grinning. 

"Is something the matter?" She asked confused. "Everything is just...peachy" Negan replied. "Ok then...may I ask why you are standing here..in my room?" She asked bluntly. Negan chuckled. "So you THINK this is your room." Bree rolled her eyes. She was too tired to be in the mood for his shit. "Ok, it's your room, blah blah blah, you own everything, I get it" She replied with a huff. 

"Oh come on, don't be so snotty, I just wanna check up on my best girl...who seems to be healing up pretty well if I say so myself" He said gently grabbing her chin again like he did earlier, examining her face. Bree pulled away and turned around. 'Shit' she thought to herself. Her lip was still scabbed but her bruises on her face was much lighter than what they were just a few hours ago when he saw her last. 

"That another one of your 'abilities', isn't it?" he asked flamboyantly, using finger quotes. Bree's silence gave him all the confirmation he needed. He scoffed and went over to sit on her bed. "So I learned quite a bit about you today didn't I?" Negan asked but Bree remained silent. "I learned about your family of hit men, your fancy and just plain cool as shit healing abilities, and your super strength" Negan toyed with her. Bree looked up at the last part as if he now had her attention. "Yeah, that was pretty cool how a girl your size threw that big bloke around...I know there is no way any ordinary person could do that, not all the Zumba classes in the world could give you that kind of strength, must feel good to be able to do that" Negan teased. 

Bree stayed quiet but continued to stare at him. Negan got up off the bed and circled around her. "You know, I bet you could do that to me right now, just pick me up and throw me right across this room, just like that" He said snapping his fingers. "But you don't...why is that?" 

Bree stared at him and blinked. "Just because the world portray's my kind as a monster, doesn't mean I am". Negan snickered. "We are all monsters...some of us are just better at hiding under the bed than others" He said giving her a wink. Bree didn't reply and she turned away from him. She was really wishing that he would just leave her alone but he had other plans. 

"So, your big ol' wolfy friend today was making it sound like there is a potential membership to this club you have going on" He said over her shoulder. Bree tensed up. "So what, you bite me, I become like you?" He said getting to the point. Bree turned around to face him. "No...no, you don't want this, trust me, it's not what it seems it's-" Bree started but he cut her off. 

"Well you see, I thought about it and super strength, immunity from the dead, and your ability to heal sounds a hell of a lot cooler than being boring old human. I want in sweetheart, and you're going to give it to me."


	11. Devil may care

"Negan...you're drunk...Maybe you should go back to your OWN room and sleep it off" Bree said pointing next door. "Uh uh, I think I'm fine right where I am, come on Bree, be real with me, how fucking awesome would it be, us two...as weres...running this place, together we would be bullet-proof" Negan slurred on his words. Oh yeah, he was definitely shit faced alright. 

"Well, I wouldn't use the words bullet-proof, that is not exactly the case but trust me, this is not something you want, the change...the change was the worst thing I have ever experienced in my life" Bree grew serious. Negan stared at her for a moment, intrigued. His gaze was beginning to make Bree uncomfortable so she turned away. Negan rolled over to sit on the edge of the bed and he continued to stare at Bree intensely. "Tell me about it, I wanna know" he said gruffly. 

Bree turned to look at him and she frowned. Taking a deep breath she said "I was bitten when I was only 16, this world was forced upon me by a powerful werewolf named Malcolm...Malcolm was Jeremy's father" Bree explained. 

Negan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "So all that B.S. about you turning on your own was just that huh?" he said. Bree shrugged and continued her story. "I was raised by my mother...She died when I was 14 from a brain aneurysm and I bounced around from foster home to foster home for the next two years...long story short, I ran away and Malcolm found me...he apparently knew who my dad was and kept a close eye on me from a distance for most of my life...only he didn't do it with my best interest at heart, this is how he lured me to him. I didn't know anything about the shifter world and I didn't find out about it until after I was already a part of it" Bree said as she was beginning to feel all the old feelings of hatred come back to her. 

"He told me he and my dad were good friends and that when my dad passed he told him to look after me which was a complete lie. My dad didn't even know I existed. Like an idiot I believed him...I went with him, I didn't find out what he was until two weeks later when I became his science experiment." Bree said, growling the last part. 

"Go on" Negan said and he continued to stare at her intensely as he listened to her story. Bree took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Malcolm chose me because my father was a werewolf, before me, the only female werewolf that had ever existed was my sister-in-law Elena. Females just don't survive the change. He had this theory about creating a pure bloodline, this new generation of shifters that he imagined to be perfect in every way. He attempted to do it with Elena but it didn't exactly work out for him with her being engaged to my brother Clayton and her heavy association with the pack, so he decided to try to make his own female werewolf. He thought that if he turned a girl that had werewolf genes on both sides that he would succeed. Needless to say, he did his research on my family tree and he was right, it worked" Bree said sadly. 

Negan shifted on the bed and dropped his gaze. "I was with him for about two weeks before he turned me" Bree continued. "Everything was going great, he was really nice to me. I was sitting on the couch watching T.V., he told me he was going to go shower and then take me out for ice cream so I waited for him to come out. He was in there for a while and I heard his bedroom door creek open, thinking it was him, I turned around but it wasn't him...it was a wolf, probably the biggest wolf I had ever seen and he looked mean. I was terrified and I called for Malcolm but he didn't answer. Before I could get away from him he bit me. I lost consciousnesses and I witnessed a change take place for the first time. I saw this big scary wolf morph back into the man that I was beginning to trust, back into someone who I THOUGHT was my friend...Malcolm." Bree said with a pair of tears trickling down her face. 

Negan for the first time was speechless as he let her continue. As tough as he was, it always shook him up when he learned of people in this world who were worse than him. "Hell doesn't even begin to describe what I endured for the next two years. Malcolm kept me chained up in the basement until he felt like I was ready to bear children. It was an experience that was worse than any nightmare I ever had or could think to dream of. I didn't understand what was happening to me. The change was beyond painful and the hunger I was feeling was unimaginable and it wasn't just for food" She said, hoping he would get the idea.

"You wanted blood" Negan said it for her. With tears still streaming down her face she turned to face him. "I know the hunger that the dead feel beyond these walls because for that first year, I felt it" She said coldly, clenching a fist. "All I wanted to do was rip into anything I could get my hands on, the change brought on an appetite that I could not fathom and I didn't understand any of it. Malcolm said it was normal but it did not feel normal, not for me. I was a vegetarian before I was turned and I did not think twice about devouring a 32 OZ T-bone like it was nothing."

"Hm...this Malcolm guy sounds like a real asshole" Negan finally spoke. Bree looked at him with a pained expression. "I wanted to die so bad, I begged him to kill me so many times, I couldn't deal with the monster I had become but he kept me alive for his own sick enjoyment. There were times when it looked like he took pride in my suffering and even though he said everything I was going through was normal for someone who is newly changed, he did not make my circumstances any easier. For two years, I was chained to the wall in a dirty basement, in my own filth, unable to see the light of day. I could not control my body and I HATED what he turned me into." Bree cried. 

Negan looked at her with sympathy. "How did you get away?" He asked. Bree sighed and wiped away her tears. Sitting on the bed Next to Negan, facing him she said "I was 18 when Malcolm decided it was time that I fulfill my purpose. For the first time he unchained me and I played like I was too weak to do anything so he carried me upstairs. He let me bathe and when he left me alone I changed in the bathroom. When he opened the door I surprised him and I was able to escape by jumping out a window. I ran and ran as far away from that place until I couldn't run anymore. I ended up finding a church in Bear Valley that took pity on me and took me in and I hid there for about six months until Jeremy found me. I made sure to always stay around people so Malcolm couldn't get to me, being in the church kept me safe."

Negan's pupils dilated with anger as he listened to her story. He was deeply against any kind of violence on women and he wanted to make this Malcolm character wish he had never been born. "What happened to Malcolm?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Elena, my sister-in-law was the one who put an end to him, he tried to kill her and he lost the battle" Bree said avoiding his gaze. 

Bree put her hand on Negan's leg and looked him in the eyes. His gaze shifted from her hand to her and he looked at her seriously. Giving his leg a slight squeeze she said "Negan...please...please don't make me do to you what was done to me. I don't think I could bare it and the chances of survival are not good. I just can't re-live that experience and I don't want to see anyone go through that. The hunger alone and the pain is enough to drive you mad and please trust me when I say it is not worth it. I had the support of Jeremy who is a well established alpha and the pack to help guide me, you WILL want to kill viciously and I don't think I could be enough to stop you." 

They stared at each other for a moment in silence as Negan let Bree's words sink in. Eventually, Negan brought his hand up to her face and rubbed her cheek while nodding. Bree gave him sincere eyes and said "Thank-you."

"Hm...guess I'll just have to settle for your bad ass self on my team, you know there are not that many people out there who have my sympathy but I have to say, your story breaks my heart. I wish Malcolm were still alive so he could have a word with Lucille" Negan said proudly. Bree rolled her eyes and then looked at him with a look of wonder. 

"Negan...who was Lucille?" Bree asked intrigued. Negan's expression changed and Bree almost wished she didn't ask. He sighed and said "Lucille was my wife...well I guess ex-wife now...before all of this." Bree tilted her head to the side as confusion spread to her face. "What happened to her?" She asked, for the first time, wondering what his story was. Negan sighed again. After a moment he responded "Another time."

Bree could see this was a very sensitive subject for him that he was not ready to discuss with her so she dropped it. Patting his leg she said "You should probably get going back to your room, I bet you are going to have a nasty hang-over in the morning."

"Pfft, I don't get hang-overs but nice try, I think I'm gonna stay right here for tonight" He said with his face pulling into his usual grin. He sprawled out on her bed and put his hands behind his head. Bree made a face at him. "Ok, that's fine and dandy but where am I going to sleep?" She asked looking at his large frame on her queen sized bed. Negan smirked at her and moved over and patted the area next to him. "Oh come on Negan! This is my space that you gave to me, your room is right next door, get your lazy bones up and go get in your OWN bed" She snapped. "Ohh don't be like that Bree, come on, don't you get lonely in here all by yourself, I'm sure you could use some company, you are my wife you know" He teased. Bree made a disgusted face at him and said "Yeah me and who else, come onnnn, gettt upppp" Bree whined while pulling at his foot. "Nope, you can either sleep on the floor or sleep next to me, your call doll" He said being difficult.

Bree stomped her foot in anger and huffed. "Fine! but stay on your side!" She growled. Negan smirked at her as he watched her crawl into bed next to him, sliding as far as she could away from him. She turned off the light and got comfortable. Once she stilled, she felt Negan snake an arm around her waist and she let out another huff and crinkled her face in contempt. Grabbing his arm between her index finger and thumb, she pulled his arm off of her and flicked it back towards him as if it was an infected germ. She heard him chuckle and he turned to face the opposite way from her. "Goodnight princess" He said before she was lulled to sleep by the sounds of his snores. 

 

The next morning, Bree awoke to the sounds of pounding on the door. She was still exhausted from the events from the day before and she figured if she stayed quiet and didn't move they would just go away, only they didn't. She groaned and sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes. She yawned and glared at the door until she heard the knocking again, only it wasn't coming from her door, it was coming from next door on Negan's. Whoever it was must have needed to speak to him urgently because the knocks became louder and they obviously weren't going away. She stood up and stretched, letting out a squeek and she looked over at Negan who was beginning to wake up himself. He drew in a breath and looked around the room, his eyes landing on hers. She could tell that he was surprised that he was in her bed, the previous nights events delaying to hit him. "Some one's knocking on your door, it doesn't sound like they are going to go away" She told him as she padded over to her door. "There is? I don't hear anything" He said while trying to stifle a yawn. Bree turned on her heels and looked at him and smirked, pointing at her ear. Negan rolled his eyes and laid his head back down on the pillow.

Bree cautiously opened up her door and peeked down the hall. It was Simon and she caught his attention when she opened the door. He looked stressed and she could smell the fear coming off of him. "Simon...what's wrong?" She asked. He treadded over to her and asked "Do you know where Negan is? It's important, I need to speak with him!"

Bree looked at Simon and then back at Negan who was jumping out of bed. Moving aside to let Simon in, he hurried past her, almost knocking into her. "What is it Si?" Negan asked with concern in his voice. "Negan, someone wiped out the whole West outpost, Juan went there in the middle of the night to pick up a delivery and drop off supplies, everybody is dead."

"SON OF A BITCH!" was all Negan could get out and he punched the wall in anger. Bree looked back and forth at Negan and Simon with wide eyes. She immediately started to scan her brain for who could have done this. She knew that this would mean war and it was time to brace herself for a whirlwind of shit that was about to come their way. 

 

(The next thing I am going to write to this is probably going to be Bree's backstory series. I will try to post it tomorrow, Thursday at the latest so be on the lookout! I'm thinking its going to be a short one, maybe 5 chapters or so but we will see how it goes and what kind of feedback I get on it. It's going to be all about Bree and how she came to know the pack and how her relationship formed with Nick so I'm planning on it being very fluffy and romantic, and potentially some smut ;) I hope everyone liked this chapter and is continuing on enjoying this story so far. Thank-you to all who have commented and given me positive feedback, you guys are really awsome with that and it really makes me more eager to write more knowing I have fans out there! My work season has been picking up so that's why my updates have slowed down but I do have a plan for this story and I will do my best to make many chapters and to give it a justified ending. Thank-you so much for all who have tried this story out and gave it a chance!)


	12. Seasons

Shortly after finding out about the out post, Negan went back to his room and quickly got dressed and took off to deal with the situation before Bree could find out anymore on what happened. After he left, Bree got dressed herself and went down stairs to see if she could find out anymore info on what happened. 

It was sounding like another group went to the West outpost the night before and killed everyone while they were sleeping. They suspected that it might have been Hilltop related, giving their last encounter with them but nobody was sure. She heard that Negan and a few Saviors were going to be departing soon to the outpost to investigate and see if they can get any clue's to figure out what happened and who was responsible. Bree knew that she had to go with them and whether Negan realized it of not, she might have been their only shot at finding who did this. 

Bree ran down to the loading gates, hoping that she wasn't too late to catch Negan. Luckily she spotted him and it looked like she just made it in time because everyone was starting to load up in the trucks and Negan looked like he was on his way to his. Bree ran up to him calling his name and he turned to look at her and then rudely kept walking as if he didn't hear her. "NEGAN! Wait! I need to talk to you! Negan!" Bree called out as she trailed behind him. Finally he turned around and loudly said "Doll, I'm too busy to deal with your little crush on me, I have bigger things to worry about, why don't you go run along and play with the other wives, I'll be back to you before you know it." He gave her a wink and then continued to walk away from her.

Bree drew her head back and looked at him in offense, dumbfounded by his words. "What?! No! That's not what I have to talk to you about!" She squealed. That statement was obviously to show off his image but Bree was starting to get annoyed that he wouldn't listen when she knew he was going to want to hear what she had to say. He kept walking still after a few more attempts to get his attention and finally Bree lost it. "WOULD YOU JUST FUCKING LISTEN TO ME!" She yelled. Negan stopped, without facing her. That was the first time he heard her curse and he couldn't help but smile. She grabbed him by his arm and swung him around, pinning him to the side of his truck with her hand on his chest. She could tell that she surprised him and he glared down at her, not sure what to make of her sudden outburst, coming from someone her size. 

Bree turned her head to look back and forth to make sure no one was around and then she leaned her face closer to his ear. "Look, I can help you find who did this, let me go with you to the outpost and I can sniff around to see if I pick up a scent. If we are lucky I may even be able to follow it back to where their compound is, trust me on this one, I know what I'm doing." 

Negan stared at her for a moment, as if her words were circulating in his head. Truthfully, it was a no brainer but Negan wouldn't be Negan if he didn't give her a hard time on it. His lips pulled into a grin and as he looked down at her and said "Well, I thought this was about you not being able to keep your hands off of me, can't say I blame you...What if your wrong?" Bree rolled her eyes and tisked. "If I'm wrong then I'm wrong, it doesn't hurt to try, what do we have to lose?" She said, not understanding what the big deal was. He stared at her intensely for a moment and then finally agreed to let her tag along. 

"There's just one thing I have to do before we go" She said reluctantly. "What?...You gotta go fix your hair or something? Come on, we don't have all day, everyone is ready to leave, the sooner we get there the better" Negan said, annoyed. Bree sighed and glared at him. "I have to change...I'll be able to track better as a wolf and cover more ground." Negan looked at her with a smile and lightly shook his head back and forth. "You are something else...Go head over to the supply room, I'll be there in a minute to let you out and I'll tell everyone to stay put" Negan said, finally agreeing to one of her ideas first try. 

When Bree got to the supply room, she shut the door and began to take her clothes off. She was on pins and needles and she shook her hands out as if that would make her nerves go away. Truth be told, she hadn't shifted back to a wolf once since she arrived at the Sanctuary. Oddly enough, she hadn't felt the need to and switching at the Sanctuary wasn't exactly convenient with there being people everywhere and no where to run so she just avoided it all together. 

She felt like she was about to partake in a boxing match and she jumped up and down a few times, taking deep breaths as she tried to spark on a change. It was taking her a lot of concentration which was abruptly broken when the door opened. Bree gasped and used her arms to cover herself the best she could to shield whoever was coming in from her nudity. Luckily it was just Negan, though in reality that wasn't much luck. 

Negan couldn't help but give her a look up and down, admiring her bare frame and he stepped in the room, closing the door behind him. "Negan! What are you doing!? I'm not ready yet! Get out and close the door!" She said in a harsh whisper, throwing him a nasty look while hunching down to cover herself more. Negan smirked. "Sweetheart, you don't need a broom closet if you wanted to take your clothes off for me, all you have to do is say so" He said with a chuckle, still not adverting his eyes. Bree let out a disgusted sound and rolled her eyes. 

"Would you just get out! I'm having a hard enough time changing as it is, I need to concentrate and YOU are not helping me!" She snapped. Negan leaned his head back and laughed. "OK OK, I'll give you some privacy, just try to hurry, everyone is waiting on you, we gotta get this show on the road" he said before stealing one more glance at her naked self and then turned away to wait outside the door. Bree scoffed at him and when he was gone she got back to trying to shift. 

"Come on, Come on, Shift, Shift, Shift" She whispered with her eyes close. Finally she felt a pulse through out her body and her shoulder's started to pop and crack out of place, signifying that the change had begun. She let out a few cries and moans from the pain which Negan was able to hear outside of the door. He knew that she wanted privacy but the noises that he was hearing made him want to open the door to see if she was at least OK, it did not sound pretty in there. 

At last the noises stopped and after a moment Negan heard a little scratch on the door. He opened the door and sure enough, there was Ace. She ran out and started to head to his truck like she was on a mission, not really wanting to hear what ever awkward comment he had to make. He followed behind her and she caught a few looks from fellow Saviors as she strolled out in her wolf form. They probably thought that she was long gone after he being human so long, it was a surprise for them to see her again. 

Bree ran up and jumped up into the back of Negan's truck, and Negan came up along the side and stared at her. She looked back at him as if she were asking 'You got something to say?' and Negan rose his eyebrows and lightly shook his head back and forth. "Suite yourself" He grunted as he got in the front seat of his truck. She was still annoyed that he caught her in her birthday suit and she would have rather rode in the back then be forced to listen to whatever dirty comments came out of his mouth. 

Once they arrived at the outpost, there were a few members of the Sanctuary already, clearing out the bodies to a pile to burn them. Bree wasn't even inside the building yet and the strong smell of fresh death raped the inside of her nostrils. She jumped out and followed Negan inside. He stopped to talk to the one who had found everyone dead and Bree walked around the inside of the building to investigate. 

After the dead rose, Bree thought that she could handle anything and she wasn't so shocked anymore about what the dead did, but it was what the living did here that got to her. The building looked like a scene from a horror movie. Most of the bodies were cleared out but there was still blood everywhere and the smell to her was nauseating. She sadly looked around and noticed that most of the blood was on the pillows of the beds and it gave her a sense of what kind of people they were dealing with. People that came in to kill everyone while they were sleeping and couldn't defend themselves. 

Due to the smell of blood clogging her nose, she could not get a smell of anything else so she decided to take her investigation outside. Negan was still talking with the Saviors about what happened but he still watched her out of the corner of his eye as she paced back and forth with her nose to the ground, trying to pick up any unfamiliar scent. All the sudden she came to a clearing on the side of the outpost where she saw tracks and blood. There was definitely some sort of a struggle here and Bree began to sniff around wildly, feeling like she was on the verge of finding something. 

Negan took notice to this and broke away from his conversation to see if she was able to pick up anything. He squatted down to her level and said "You found something didn't you?" She ignored him and kept sniffing and sure enough, she picked up a scent. She put her nose on the spot and inhaled deeply to be sure and she couldn't be anymore than she was. She jerked her head up to make eye-contact with Negan and she stared at him intensely and he got the message. "Do you think it's enough to lead to a trail?" He asked looking around, hoping that no one would catch him talking to a wolf. 

Bree put her nose down again and followed the scent to the front gates, excitedly turning back to Negan and letting out a high pitched bark, letting him know that the answer to that question was yes. He got the idea and went back over to the entrance of the building to talk to the others. Bree stood by the front gates, her gaze fixed on him, eager to follow the trail that she just picked up. Once Negan was done he walked back over to her and squatted down to her height. "OK, here's the plan, you continue to follow the trail that you picked up, Simon and I will be right behind you in the truck while you track. If we run into a herd, jump in the back and then we will regroup and figure out where to go from there...Are you sure you're good on your feet for this?" Bree gave him a look as if she were saying "Puhleese!" and Negan got the idea and headed to his truck. 

Negan and Simon followed close behind Bree as she began to track the scent down the road. The more she trailed, the stronger the smell became, signifying that she was on the right track. Negan and Simon watched her every move from the the truck. "Shes fast" Simon stated. Negan was able to keep on the gas to follow her, barely having to touch the brakes. He had to admit that he was impressed. That is probably one of the reason's why she made it that long out there on her own he thought to himself. 

The smell started to get stronger and Bree knew that they were close. It was time for them to stop the truck so they would have less of a chance being seen. Bree stopped and turned to the truck, staring at them and Negan got the hint to stop. They got out and walked up to her, checking out their surrounding's of where they were at. "What is it?" Simon asked with a confused look on his face while lighting up a cigarette. Negan stared back at Bree as if she could give him an answer. Bree groaned internally. She was going to have to change back to let them know that they were close. 

She trotted over to the back of the truck to give herself some privacy and Simon stupidly followed behind her, not sure what to make of her sudden behavior. She knew that Simon knew what she was, according to Negan, but that didn't mean he was ready to see her change and more so, she didn't want him of all people to see her naked. Bree whipped her body around and charged at Simon, growling fiercely to get him to back up. His eyes went wide and he held his hands up as she came at him. "Whoa whoa whoa...Chill out there...Negan, what is she doing?" He asked nervously as he backed up. Bree let out another growl and continued to glare at him with her ears pinned back, glancing at Negan to hopefully drop the hint that she didn't want them to follow. 

"Si, leave her be" Negan said getting a hunch at what she was going to do. Simon looked at Negan confused and then turned back to see what Bree was doing. Bree walked around the other side of the truck and started to change when she was fully out of sight. Simon's gaze fixed on the truck as he began to hear cries and moans and the sound of bones cracking. His eyes grew wider as the noises began to sound more and more human and then he jumped when Bree's face popped out from the side of the truck. 

Simon's jaw practically fell to the ground and his cigarette tumbled out of his mouth as he stared at Bree with a bug-eyed expression. He thought Negan was crazy when he first came to him about Bree's abilities but to actually see them for the first time was undeniable. She really was a werewolf! Simon turned back to look at Negan, who was standing there proudly. "That's my girl" He said boastfully, giving Simon a nod. 

Bree ignored Simon's reaction and she said "We are getting close...You should probably park the truck and continue the rest of the way on foot so we stay hidden. The smell is getting stronger and my guess is that we are about a mile, maybe two away" She instructed. Negan threw the key's as Simon and told him to go park the truck in the woods. "Wait!" Bree cried. Simon stopped in his tracks, this time being more cooperative and listening to Bree. She took a few deep breath's and began to change back, finding it much easier this time than she did the last time. 

Once she was back to being a wolf, she padded back over to Negan and waited for Simon to move the truck. Afterwards the three of them continued their journey to find these people, staying as close to the woods as possible.

Bree stopped when she saw what looked like a very tall brick wall come into view and Negan and Simon did the same. There was a big sign out front that read 'Welcome to Alexandria'. Bree could hear voices on the other side and it didn't take much to know that there was a whole community behind those walls. They crouched down a distance away and they could make out guards with guns on top of the walls. The perimeter looked sturdy and whoever built this must have really known what they were doing. Bree let out a low growl, knowing that these people were the ones who slaughtered the whole out post in cold blood.

"We could come back with everyone and storm the gates...They will never know what hit em'" Simon suggested. "No...We are going to do this the right way...People are a resource Simon, How many time's do I have to tell you that...I want these son's of bitches to know who is the alpha male around here" He said, giving Bree a smirk. "We do this tactfully, now that we know where they are, we can come up with a plan to really send a message to not fuck with the Saviors." Negan stated. 

As they started to head back to the truck, Bree wondered how all of this was going to go down. It didn't sound like Negan was out for blood but judging by the way things were done at the Hilltop, she knew that there were worse things he could do. She would attempt to pick his brain later on it, but right now she was trying to figure out if this was really a battle she wanted to be apart of. She guessed that the Saviors were her people now but they really didn't feel like it. She was with them more so out of survival than desire to be there. She looked at it like it was a temporary situation until she found her family, but what if she never did? This was a chance that she was going to have to come to this conclusion at some point, as much as she didn't want to believe it. 

Bree trailed behind Negan and Simon, deep in her thoughts as a gentle breeze picked up around them. Bree picked her head up and inhaled deeply and smiled. The wind was cool and earthy smelling and it felt like seasons were about to change. Fall was approaching and Bree loved it this time of year when things cooled down and it took her back to when she was at Stone Haven. It made her that much more home sick and she drew in another breath to relish the remembrance. 

She caught a whiff of something familiar and she started to vigorously sniff the air to try to catch it again. It was faint and she felt like her mind was playing tricks on her. She looked around and continued to sniff but it was like the smell was never there. It smelled like a ghost of home and her fixation was broken when Negan called out to her to follow. They were a little ways ahead of her and she didn't realize that when she got distracted. Negan let out another sharp whistle when she didn't comply and she slowly began to catch back up to them in reluctance. She decided that it was just the memory of her home and her nose was just making her smell what she wanted to at that moment. She didn't get any more traces of it so she told herself it was just that.

(Just wanted to let everyone know I started posting chapters of Bree's backstory for those who are curious to know more about her. It is called This Animal I am Becoming and you can find it under my works if you click on my profile. Hope everyone who is reading this checks it out and please comment and kudos away to let me know what you thing!)


	13. Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just another reminder to check out my prequel story to this, This Animal I am Becoming, there is 6 chapters out and if you like Werewolf stories you will love this one!

Life at the Sanctuary became pretty stressful after the outpost massacre. During the day, Negan was very snappy at everyone and easy to irritate. He was trying to organize a plan to put the Alexandrian's in check and get them under his thumb working for him but Bree could tell that deep down inside he wanted blood. He tried to include Bree in on it but she decided that this was not her fight and she no longer wanted to be any part of it. She figured that she helped them enough and they didn't really need her anymore so she did her best to stay out of it. 

Negan seemed to respect her decision and put her on the night watch to help guard the Sanctuary after hours. She would do this as a wolf and every night before she went to guard the perimeter, she would change in her room and then Negan would come and let her out so she could go to her shift. Because of this, they didn't speak very often and Bree didn't really miss the interaction. Things were so tense right now, she felt that it was best that she avoided everyone and just did her job.

One night, Bree was waiting in her room as usual for Negan to come and let her out. She glanced at the clock and saw that he was over half and hour late which was unusual for him. Just when Bree was contemplating changing back and tracking him down to see what was up, she heard a knock on the door. She let out a bark to let him know it was safe to come in and the door opened to Negan, standing there with Lucille.

He seemed different than usual. No grin, no annoying comments or jokes, just very solemn as he stood in the doorway staring down at her. Bree looked up at him unsure of what to do so she went to go walk past him down to the lower levels. She didn't smell any booze on him so she knew he wasn't drunk. When she went to go walk past him, he held Lucille up in the doorway, blocking the path so she couldn't get through. She slowly tilted her head up to meet his gaze and she couldn't quite put her finger on what was up with him. 

He looked down at her for a moment more and finally said "I want you to change back and meet me in my room. I have a few things I want to talk to you about."

He held the door open for Bree to step back inside and shut the door when she was back in her room. Bree's mind blew up with questions as to what this could be about. This was unusual behavior for him and normally he would throw a joke behind such a demand like this, but he didn't. She changed back as quick as she could and threw on what ever clothes she could find and headed to Negan's room just like he asked. She didn't even bother to knock, she knew he would be expecting her so she didn't see the point. She opened the door to find him standing next to a sound system, digging for a CD. He paused for a moment when he heard her enter and then kept rummaging until he found the one he wanted. 

"What is it Negan?" Bree asked getting to the point. She wasn't really in the mood for his games. Negan inserted the CD, slightly turning up the volume, and the sounds of soft 50's classic music played throughout the room. Bree's eyes shifted back and forth nervously, not really understanding what this was about. He finally turned to her and the look on his face was unreadable. "Thank-you for joining me...Can I get you a drink?" He asked her. "No...I'm OK...What's up?" She asked, pressing further on the topic as to why she was here. 

He let out a sigh and went over to his mini bar and poured himself a drink. Bree couldn't understand why he was being so weird. With his back still turned to her he asked her to have a seat. Bree hesitated and looked back and forth to the couch and him, not sure what to do. She would have rather been outside patrolling like she should have been doing, quite frankly his behavior was starting to freak her out. 

Negan turned around to see that she was still standing there and he tisked. "Jesus Christ Bree, you are not in trouble, I just want to talk you, go sit, come on...I'm not going to bite...Though I wish I could say the same for you" He said finally tipping his head back and showing her a grin. There was the sarcastic humor that she was starting to miss. Bree sighed and rolled her eyes and took a seat. Negan took a seat in the couch from across from her and crossed his legs, staring at her. After Bree couldn't take it anymore she finally said "What is it Negan?"

He squinted his eyes and slowly shook his head back and forth with a light smile. "You know, out of every single prick in this place, no one has quite had my back like you have...And yet, you sit here and act like you can't stand to be in the same room with me." He stated, eyes never leaving hers. Bree shifted uncomfortably, not really knowing how to respond to such an accusation. Negan leaned forward, still holding her gaze. "You don't like me very much, do you sweetheart...Go ahead, tell me. It's OK, tell me what you think of me."

Bree blinked a few times, not sure if this was a trick question but when he gave her no signal that it was, she shrugged and told him what he wanted to hear. "I think you are a manipulative asshole. Your arrogant and overly-confident. You use people, violence, and fear to get what you want and you are a bully about it. I feel like you do this because there are deeper issues going on and when other's may label you as a psychopath, I label you as misunderstood. I think there is an underlying reason why you are the way you are and this is your way of shutting everyone out so you don't have to deal with it. I think deep down, there is some good in you but it takes a special kind of person to bring it out of you. I think you use your power....This place...Your wives....As a way to cover your insecurities and as a distraction to what the real issue is" Bree said with no fear in her voice. She figured that if he didn't want her to go there then he wouldn't have asked. 

"And what do you suppose that is?" He said, eyeing her intrigued. Bree gave him a warm smile and said "You're scared" Negan rolled his eyes and snickered and Bree said "Come on Negan...I'm not stupid. I can smell the fear on you every morning we walk down those stairs. You are afraid someone bigger and badder is going to come and take all of this away from you. I know you are afraid of these Alexandrian's and I don't blame you. That was a pretty brazen thing they did to our outpost and I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and say that no one has ever acted out against you like that, and it scares you."

For the first time, Negan's expression softened and his eyes widened, as if her words had rattled him, though it did not last long. He eventually straightened up and his smile appeared back on his face. "You got me all figured out, don't ya doll" He said, giving her a wink. Bree's lips pressed into a frown and she sat back in her seat. "You wanted to know what I thought about you...You got your answer."

Negan let out a light chuckle and he said "If you are not scared in this world, then you are dead...Look around princess, it's not exactly Emerald City out there...Some of us are just better at hiding it than others."

Bree looked down away from his pressing stares for a moment to ground herself and then she picked her head back up to look at him. "Why am I here Negan?" She asked, wanting to get off this topic. He smiled and then tossed back the rest of his drink and the got up, turning his back to her to get more. "Well like I said, out of everyone in this place, you have saved my ass more times than I deserved." "Yeah...And?" Bree asked, not really sure where he was going with this. 

He walked back over and this time, instead of sitting across from her like he was, he chose to sit on the same couch next to her. "Tomorrow we are going to go through with our plan against the Alexandrian's...I know you and I had a deal worked out that you wanted to stay out of this mess...But..." Negan started and then stopped, seeming to have trouble finding his words. Bree raised her eyebrows in question as she watched him struggle. "I want you there with me tomorrow when we bring these fuckers down" He finally said. 

Bree's eyebrows knitted in confusion and she asked him why. Negan sighed and rolled his eyes. "Shit doll, don't make me say it, just say that you will go with us tomorrow...Just say yes" He said lowly. Bree shook her head back and forth, still not understanding and she said "I don't get it, what do you need me for? You have-" She started and then was cut off by him. "Shit, fine...I want you there because I know I will be able to keep cool and not bash every single one of those low life scum bags with Lucille like I so desperately want to" He growled. "I want you there because I know if shit goes down, you will have my back no matter what and you are good at thinking on your feet. You got some spunk in you doll and I know you can level me out if I get too worked up when we finally are face to face with these assholes. I want to make them pay so bad for what they did. I would love nothing more then to go with Simon's plan and storm the gates but that is not the direction I want this empire to move in and not the message I want to send. I KNOW you will help remind me of that if things get too heated...If I get too heated."

Bree was speechless. In that moment, she felt like he had opened the window to his soul and for the first time she saw the real Negan. He threw back the rest of his drink and put his hand on her leg and whispered "Just say yes...Please don't fight me on this one." 

Bree looked down at his hand and then back at him and stared at him intensely. He looked at her through wounded eyes and then she finally put her hand over his and said "OK...I'll do it...I'll go with you." Negan smiled and nodded his head and said "Thank-you". Things were awkwardly quiet between the two of them and the dragging sounds of the music he put on droned on around them.

Finally Bree squinted her eyes and shook her head, saying "What in God's name are we listening to?" Negan snickered and said "The classic's baby...This is were it all started, it's quite the shame they stopped making music like this."

Bree continued to listen and then she shook her head. "Yeah, I'm sorry, I just can't get into this...I'm not sure if I want to slit my wrists or take Lucille there and bash my own head in, this sounds like depressing old people music" She said, trying to lighten up the mood. 

Negan looked at her and held a hand over his heart and said "Ouch doll, that was a low blow." Bree laughed and he got up to change the song. Looking though his collection he hummed and then stopped his finger on an album, picking it up and switching disks. "Here, should be better for your...Refined ears."

Negan stood there for a moment and studied her as she listened to the song play. Right away, her expression perked up and she said "Oh, Oh! I do know this one!...This one is from Dirty Dancing right?...Tomorrow....Will you still love me tomorrow" She muttered as she remembered the title. "Wow very good princess, I'm impressed. I figured that would be a lame choice for someone your age" He joked. "Hee hee, nah I loved Dirty Dancing, I had a phase where I watched that movie practically every day when I was younger, I always wished that I could dance like that" Bree said with stars in her eyes at the memory.

Negan gazed at her like he was really studying her. All the sudden, he slowly walked over to her and held out his hand in front of her, giving her the notion that he was asking her to dance. Bree's eyes widened and she shook her head back and forth. "Ohhh no...No...I'm good LISTENING to the song right here" she said pointing down at the couch.

"Ohh come on, it's just you and me, don't be so stuck up and just take my freaking hand" Negan said trying to urge her to dance. He stayed there with his arm extended and looked at her as if he wasn't going to go away. Finally after awkwardly sitting there Bree huffed and took his hand and let him lead her to the center of his room. He grabbed her hands and put them around his neck giving her a smirk and then he set his hands around her waist. Bree's face flushed from the close contact and she stared at his shoulder, not wanting to make eye contact with him. He gave her a gentle smile and swayed her back and forth to the music, eventually grabbing her hand and twirling her around a few times. 

Bree did a side step buy accident and lost her footing, practically falling into him, laughing as she did so. "Ha ha I knew this was a bad idea" She said as Negan tried to get her back on the right step. "Ohh don't be so hard on yourself, your doing fine" Negan said. He was looking at her with a genuine smile, one that Bree had never seen on him before and it was kind of nice. This was the first time when she didn't feel like she had to be on guard with him. This was the real Negan under all the leather and barbed wire.

As they continued to sway back and forth, Negan's hand slowly traveled to her backside and he gently rubbed patterns on her lower back and deeply hummed to the song in her ear. Bree noticed this but decided to just go with it because they were having such a nice moment. He then bend his head down to her level and rested his head into the crook of her neck, giving Bree goosebumps from his stubble on her sensitive skin. Bree let him stay there like that until he took it a step further. He held her tighter than before and nuzzled into her neck, kissing a line from her neck to the bottom of her jaw and then next to her ear.

"OK big guy, chill out" Bree laughed nervously, giving his chest a pat to signal him to stop. He inhaled into her neck deeply and kissed her cheek a few times and then planted one right on her lips. Bree's eyes went wide right away and she pulled away saying " Whoa Negan, stop. That's enough" Firmly. Negan pulled away, still with his arms around her and he looked at her as if he didn't know what the issue was. "What...You don't like me or something?" he asked, meaning it differently than he did when he asked her this question before. 

Bree's calm and secure demeanor changed when he said this and she looked at him with an uneasy expression. After a moment of silence and stares between the two of them, Bree finally shook her said and said "No...Not like that." Negan let out a deep breath and looked away, pressing his lips together, he nodded his head as if he understood her. "Why?" He asked bluntly, his tone all the sudden sounding a bit on the aggressive side. Bree looked away, not sure how to answer. Negan bent his head down so she was forced to look at him and he snickered and said "This by any chance wouldn't have anything to do with Nick, would it?"

The mere sound of his name on Negan's lips sent her crashing back down to reality. Their moment was definitely over and Bree stepped away from him. "I...I...Think I should go...We have a big day tomorrow and I should get some rest" She said in a shaky voice and went to head to the door. "I guess we figured out what you're scared of" He said to her, using her own words against her just as she had her hand on his door. She paused, debating on whether to fire back at him or just leave it. She decided on the latter and she opened the door and left him alone to deal with his own misery.


	14. Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just another reminder to check out my prequel story to this, This Animal I am Becoming, there is 6 chapters out and if you like Werewolf stories you will love this one!

The next day was a buzz as everyone prepared for the take over of Alexandria. Everyone was on pins and needles and eager to get their revenge for what happened to their friends at the outpost. Bree was down by the loading gates, helping out with getting everyone there weapons and making sure there was enough to go around. Negan was giving directions as to what road everyone was going to cover and how to herd them to where he wanted them.

Two groups had already left and they were getting ready to disburse everyone else. One group was led by Simon and another by Gavin. Even Dwight had a small round of people and then of course there was Negan. The plan was to cover all the major roads out of Alexandria and the ones that led to the hill top. They were going to wait for their leader to leave and then block off each path until they had no where to run, then they were going to surround him and whoever he was with. Negan stationed plenty of looks outs with radios on each path so they could prepare for where they were heading next. 

The previous day, Bree heard from other Savior's that they already captured four members that were out in the woods. All Bree heard was that it was two men and two women and they were keeping them at an out post that was the closest to Alexandria and that Negan made it Dwight's responsibility to bring them when they surrounded the leader. 

Negan gave just about everyone a job to do but Bree, so she tried to make herself useful by dealing out the weapons. This could only last for so long and she knew she would eventually have to approach him to see what her part was going to be in all of this. She was dreading talking to him after last night. He hadn't said a word to her all day so far and the two of them just went on acting like the other didn't exist. She still felt bitter about him bringing up Nick after what he tried to do to her but she still kept her word in helping Negan like he asked. 

She finally walked up to him to asked him where he wanted her to be in all of this. She caught his eye about halfway to him and he just stared at her with an expression that Bree couldn't make sense of. She approached him as if she were approaching a business partner and formally said "OK, looks like everyone has got some sort of weapon like you wanted, where do you want me when this goes down?"

Negan's eyes crinkled in intrigement and he smirked at her. "Well you are going to be right here...With me doll" He said pointing at the ground next to him. Still smirking, he took a step too far into her personal space and said "I want you right by my side when we dick slap these fuckers around and show them whose boss, I think it's time you see what the Saviors are all about."

Bree refrained from rolling her eyes like she wanted to and she nodded and said "As you wish." "That's what I like to hear...Now why don't you go run to the storage closet, I'll be over in 10 to let you out" He said, brushing her off. Bree blinked her eyes as if she wasn't sure she heard him correctly. She held up a finger and said "I'm sorry...Beg your pardon?" Negan slowly turned back to look at her and rocked back on his heels, that smirk growing even bigger. "What? You didn't think I'd want Bree at this party now did you? Nah...I need something a little more extreme, I need something that will scare the pants off of those pricks when they lay their eyes on me...I need ACE" He said running his tongue over his bottom lip. 

Bree's mouth just about hit the ground as she looked at him in offense. "Time's a ticking doll, we just got a radio that they hit the first blocker, you better get a move on" He said and he walked away from her like he didn't just dish out the biggest insult ever. 'So that's the reason why he wanted me here' Bree thought to herself as she shook her head back and forth in disgust. She stomped over to the supply closet in a fit of rage. This made her no longer want to go and she wished that he would have been honest with her from the start about why he really wanted her to go. She was nothing but an intimidation tactic to him and Bree wondered if that was the only reason he kept her around period. She just made him look cool and bad as can be when she stood next to him in her wolf form and it hurt her feelings. She felt like he didn't value the real her.

After she stripped, she stood in the closet and tried to spark on a change. She was having difficulty because she couldn't focus on what she needed to do with how fired up she was over the way Negan treated her. Tears of frustration leaked down her face from her anger and from her not being able to change when she needed to. Eventually her time was up and Negan opened the door. She was still standing there butt naked and she slowly turned around to face him, not even bothering to cover herself up like she normally did. 

Negan couldn't refrain from looking her up and down as his eyes explored her body. With his eyebrows raised he said "Fuck me princess, you sure know how to surprise a man, I'm glad you came to your senses and all but we do have an ambush to get to...Maybe afterwards you can drop by my room and I can check you for ticks."

He began to laugh and Bree's face twisted in anger and she began to breathe heavy in rage. She wanted nothing more then to knock that cocky smile right off his face. She finally lost it and she ran up to him and grabbed his shirt, throwing him in the closet with a fierce growl and shut the door. Negan hit a shelving unit, knocking over various supplies and cleaning solutions with a stunned look and before he could catch his bearings she grabbed him again by the jacket and shoved him into the brick wall next to him with force. 

She was so strong it felt like she was channeling the Hulk and he was quickly reminded of how easily she threw Caine around when he attacked them who easily had about 100 lbs on Negan. He was so surprised when she grabbed him like that that he dropped Lucille outside of the door. Still glaring at him Bree grabbed his jacket again with both fists and jerked him back, still holding onto him and leaning in to get in his face. For the first time, Negan was afraid of her and Bree could smell it. She didn't know it was possible for him to show fear like this.

"Listen up you arrogant jerk" She said through gritted teeth. "It is time you start showing me the same respect that I show you. Now I am perfectly fine following whatever orders you give me and I will do them with a smile but I am not like your other whore wives that you can just shit all over and demean like I am nothing. Trust me when I say, you have NO idea what I am capable of. I am DONE dealing with your rude comments and you not taking me seriously. I have dealt with others in the past that would LITERALLY eat you for breakfast, I deserve the same amount of respect that the rest of the Saviors get, I am just as much apart of this team as they are!"

Negan tried to pull away by Bree grabbed him by the arms and pinned him against the wall. It looked silly seeing someone Bree's size restrain someone of Negan's height but it was evident that Bree meant business. Negan's eyes glared at her intensely and he realized that he had no way out of this. After scowling at her for a moment he clenched his jaw and slowly nodded his head.

"Good...Now you are going to leave, and I am going to change and in ten minutes you will let me out and I will go along with your plan and do what ever it is that you want me to do, and we will pretend that this didn't happen, but you will no longer treat me like I don't matter" Bree said with a smile. Finally Negan sighed and plastered on a fake half smile and said gruffly "Whatever you say doll face....Your...Call."

Bree straightened up and released him. They locked eyes for a moment as they were in a final stare down and Negan finally broke contact and leisurely walked out the door and then picked up Lucille. Bree turned and put her hand on the door to close it and decided to call out to Negan one more time. "Oh, and one more thing" She said getting his attention. Negan stopped but didn't turn around to face her. "If you ever, EVER mention Nick's name in a way to get to me or try to pull a stunt like you did last night again....I will RIP your head off...And I do mean that literally" She growled, sticking it to him one last time and then slamming the door. 

She cringed at her last words and couldn't believe what came over her. 'Not so alpha now' she heard a small voice say internally. She felt like that was all coming from her wolf who must have had enough of his antics, and not the real Bree. That was the only logical explanation for that burst of courage she had because she would never talk to Negan or anyone that way. She waited a few seconds, fully expecting Negan to come storming back through the door and demanding who she thought she was talking to, but he never came. Bree took a deep shaky breath and began to focus on her change. 

Bree rode shot gun this time, next to Negan as they drove to the meeting place. Apparently the Alexandrian's that they were herding had split up and one drove off in an RV and the others took off on foot and they were carrying someone who was injured. They managed to catch the one poor bastard in the RV and when Negan and Bree pulled up, Dwight was there and already had him down on his knees and tied up. "Well well well, what do we have here?" Negan said, staring down at the man who was now trembling. Bree got out and stood net to Negan's side and looked at him like he was potentially one of the ones that helped kill everyone at the out post. 

He was pudgy with a greasy black mullet and his eyes widened in fear when he caught sight of Bree. "They split up sir, the rest of them took off on foot with an injured woman and we had a few look outs say they are on their way towards us, we picked this one up just down the road, it looks like he was trying to make a break for it back to Alexandria, I got the other four tied up in the van like you asked" Dwight reported. Negan looked back and forth and said "Wow, didn't realize the 80's were making a come back in the apocalypse", referring to the guys haircut.

Negan looked down at the scared man and smirked, shaking his head. "Not so tough now are ya?" Negan asked. "It must of been real easy for your people, showing up at my out post and taking out all my men at night in their sleep. Didn't even give them a chance to defend themselves. Well looks like you didn't think that one through, I bet you never thought that was all gonna come back and bite you in the ass, did ya?" Negan said slowly with Lucille hung over his shoulder. 

Bree could smell a wicked stench of fear coming off of him and she decided to mess with him a bit. She growled deeply and moved inches from his face and showed him her teeth, her eyes full of anger for what his people did to hers. She got more than the reaction she wanted from him as he jumped back and screamed through his gag to try to get away from her. Bree continued to growl at him and Negan tipped his head back and laughed. After he decided he had enough, he gave Bree two pats on her side and told her to let off of him. 

Bree did as she was told and sat by Negan's side, still staring at the shaking man. Negan turned around on his heels and said "Wow, that's quite the camper there...That will be a nice little addition to our supply runs, let's go have a look inside" He said strolling to the doors, Bree following behind him. "D, When Simon get's here, get him up to speed on everything and tell him to knock on the door when they finally show up, I want everyone alive when I step out these doors, understand?" 

When Dwight nodded, Negan opened the door of the RV and let Bree in first. She did a quick sniff around to make sure there was no one else hidden somewhere and then jumped on the bed to look out the window. Negan looked around the RV, checking the place out and then sat back at the table with his hands behind his head. He didn't say anything to Bree as she continued to watch out for the Alexandrian's arrival. She saw that it was a full moon and that explained why she was feeling more aggressive than usual. She wasn't one for revenge but at this moment she was really wanting to see these guys pay for killing everyone at the out post and seeing the full moon made her understand why. 

She saw Simon pull up along with a bunch of other Saviors and judging by the fullness of the circle, their plan was starting to come together. Bree looked back at Negan who was staring at her in the dark and they locked eyes. The way he was looking at her was starting to weird Bree out and she wished that she was a human so she could ask him what his deal was. "Soon...Soon this will all play out and we will be another step closer to what we are trying to build...You'll see...I know the way we do things may seem brutal but this is the way it has to be now. This is the only way people will conform, they will learn who their new leader is very quickly" Negan rambled on. Bree got a sense that he was more telling himself then he was telling her. 

About half an hour later they heard the sound of whistling pick up and they knew that the Alexandrian's had arrived. Bree stood up and whined anxiously and waited by the door but Negan didn't budge. Bree was taken back when she looked over at him to see a nervous expression on his face. He almost looked like he was giving himself an internal pep talk and Bree didn't quite know what to make of it. She knew that it was a big deal to put these people in check and that he couldn't kill all of them because he wanted them to supply the Sanctuary just like the other communities did. This one was once of the bigger ones and that meant more stuff so he could not lose his cool and wipe out all of them. 

After what felt like an eternity, her ears perked us as she heard a knock on the door and she anxiously looked at Negan. He stood up and before opening the door he looked down at her. "Alright, it's show time" he said as his cocky smile spread across his face and he opened the door...

 

(I know this was kind of a short nothing chapter but I'm thinking that the next one is going to be long and there are certain elements that I really want to focus on. This one was mostly about just getting everyone where I want them to be and I promise the next one will be more exciting!)


	15. Tables Do Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go!

Negan let Bree out of the RV first. She didn't look at anyone but the air was heavy with the smell of fear. "Are we pissin' our pants yet?" She heard Negan say as she made her way to the roof of the RV. She walked over to the hood and used it to get on the top and then paced back and forth like a tiger, stalking it's prey as she glared down at the Alexandrian's that were now before her, growling to show intimidation. "Yep...It's gonna be pee pee pants city here real soon" Negan continued on.

Still on top of the RV, Negan went on with his speech and Bree went one by one in the line up, getting a good look at everyone who was now kneeling before them. There was an Asian man, a girl with dark hair, a man with a bloody shoulder, a woman with dreads, and another man who looked like he was terrified for everyone's life and the the reality of the situation was just now sinking in. Bree had a hunch that he may have been their leader. There were a few other people but the one who really caught her eye was a woman with short dark hair who looked very ill. She was not in good shape and she felt bad that she got caught up in the middle of this. There was also a kid in the line up that looked like he was no older than 15 or 16 wearing a cowboy hat and a dirty white patch over his eye. 

Bree zoned right in on the kid and she began to feel apprehensive about this whole thing. This kid should have not been here and she hoped that Negan would leave him alone. All these people looked very different from one another but they all had one thing in common. Fear.  
They all looked terrified and it was taking a lot of self reassurance for Bree not to feel sorry for them. Bree kept reminding herself of all the people they killed and how they did it in cold blood. 

As Negan continued on, he walked back and forth through out the line-up and zoned in on a few individuals as if he were testing them. He made a comment about putting the sick woman out of her misery and the Asian guy jumped up at her defense, only to be knocked back down again. Bree had a feeling that they were together by how protective he was over her. She knew Nick would have done the same thing for her if the situation was reversed. "First one's free, I get it, it's an emotional moment" Negan said toying with Lucille as they dragged the Asian back in line. 

All the sudden, from out of the woods a few of Negan's men came with more people from Alexandria. "Well what do we have here?" Negan asked, eyeing them as they came up. "These two broke away from the rest of them when we rounded them up and we chased them for about a mile. They put up a good fight but we put up a better one" One of the men said. 

Once the rest of the guys moved out of the way so they could face Negan, Bree swore her eyes were playing tricks on her. After blinking a few times and realizing they weren't, things changed drastically for her. 

The two that tried to escape and were now being kicked to the ground on their knees in the line up were Jeremy and Clayton. Her alpha who was also her father and her big brother. Bree's eyes went wide as she zoned in on them. For a brief moment, nothing else mattered and she was so happy to see they were alive that she wanted to run over there and tackle them with joy but she had to remember where she was and what her place was now. She refrained from doing so and realized that she now had a choice to make. 

She had to decide whose team she was going to play for, now that her family was alive and with Alexandria. She didn't know if she was thrilled or upset that Nick and Elena weren't here. Of course this would be the last place she would want them to be but if they weren't here, then where were they?

Bree didn't get too much time to think when Jeremy noticed her and they locked eyes. Clay followed Jeremy's gaze up to hers and his jaw dropped as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. As they stared back at each other, Negan looked back and forth with a smirk growing on his face. "You checking out my wolf? Huh? She make you nervous?" he said in amusement, obviously not putting two and two together. Jeremy and Clay just glared up at him with threatening expressions and didn't respond. Negan continued to smirk down them with a cocky smile and he let out a sharp whistle making just about everyone in the line up jump.

Bree perked her ears up, dreading what he was going to have her do. "ACE, get over here" He demanded, turning to look at her. Bree knew she had no choice. She jumped off the top of the RV and hit the ground, making her way over Negan's side. The stench of fear was stronger down here and Bree felt like it was rubbing off of her because her heart began to race as she approached Negan. Still, she couldn't take her eyes off of Jeremy and Clay. 

Negan rocked back on his heels, enjoying every ones reaction to Bree as they flinched back away from her. "This here is Ace...And she is awesome. Now I don't want to kill you people, I just wanna make that clear. No, I want you to work for me, and you can't do that if you're dead now can you? I'm not growin' a garden...But you killed a whole damn lot of my people, more than I'm comfortable with, and for that...For that you gotta pay...So now..." Negan trailed on, looking at every single one of them with a smirk. Despite his words, Bree still could not take her attention off Jeremy and Clay, trying to understand how it was possible for them to be kneeling in front of her right now. As they stared back at each other, Negan finished his sentence. 

"One of you gets a choice...Either I beat the holy hell out of you with Lucille here who is just as awesome...Or...Or I feed you to my wolf, completely your decision". Bree snapped her head in Negan's direction. 'Wait what?' She said internally. She had no clue that he was going to make her a bigger part of this than what she signed up for and this was a total curve ball thrown directly at her face. She had a feeling that this was his way of dishing out pay back from the events that happened in the supply closet earlier. As Bree struggled with the position that he was now putting her in, Negan carried on.

"Alllll this...All this is so that we can pick out which on of you gets the honor" Negan said stalking back and forth. He began to eye everyone individually, making sly comments which was working everyone up. Bree couldn't hear what he was saying as she was still trying to process what he was going to make her do. She was trying to stay calm and collected but inside she was freaking out. Now that Jeremy and Clay were here, she couldn't possibly do what he was expecting her to do and even without them here she would have had a hard time. The only person she had ever killed, other than walkers, was that young boy back at the Hilltop and even still to this day his death haunted her. 

Jeremy watched her internally battle with herself and while Negan was distracted trying to intimidate the others, Jeremy bowed his head. Practically whispering, knowing that only Bree and Clay could here him, he said "Bree...Get out now...Run to Alexandria, Nick and Elena are there."

Bree looked up at him through wide heartfelt eyes and if she were a human she would have broken down and cried right there on the spot. Nick was alive! And Elena too! This meant that they could all be reunited and be a family again just like she dreamt every night. In that moment, she picked her side, but she sure as hell wasn't going to leave Jeremy and Clay until this was over. 

Jeremy caught wind of her resistance and Clay looked back and forth between them in panic. "Listen to me...Go now...As your alpha I command you" He continued to whisper as he gritted his teeth. Jeremy only pulled the alpha card if it was something serious and this was the first time he directed it at her but this was the only order that she couldn't obey. She stayed right where she was and Jeremy slowly shook his head back and forth feeling displeased with her. Clay bowed his head and talked to her the same way Jeremy did. "Listen to Jeremy, you don't want to do what he is going to make you do, get out now" Clay pleaded, but she still wouldn't budge. 

Negan went back to stand in front of their leader who she learned was named Rick, causing everyone to put there attention back on him and he looked down at him with a pleased smile. "Sucks don't it...That moment when you realize you don't know shit". Rick looked down as if Negan's words were sinking in to be true and it grew silent in the ring. Negan glanced at the boy with they eye patch and then back at Rick. Pointing at him with the bat he said "This is your kid...Right?" as he took interest. Negan let out a laugh as he made the connection. "This is definitely your kid!" He said in confirmation and then Rick let out a deep yell for him to stop this. 

"HEY!" Negan yelled, coming to move back in front of Rick, silencing him. "Do not make me kill the little future serial killer, don't make it easy on me....I gotta pick somebody...Eeevry body's at the table waiting for me to order" Negan said comically. He had such a light tone in his voice as if her was seriously enjoying every minute of what he was putting these people through and Bree didn't know what to make of it. She had a hatred for what they did but she drew a fine line when it came to torture and making people suffer, it was not something that she took pride in and it was something Jeremy NEVER made her do. 

Negan stalked back and forth while continuing to twirl Lucille in his hands, letting out another low antagonizing whistle, as if he were having trouble picking which one to murder. "I simply cannot decide" He concluded, rolling his tongue over his bottom lip. "Ah, I got an idea" He finally said, giving everyone a cocky smile. He walked over to the first person in the line up, the ginger haired man and one by one he started with the "Eeny meeny mony moe" Bit. 

Bree watched in panic knowing that she was going to have to come to a decision quick. She was running out of time and she began to shake in anticipation as he got to the end of the sick nursery rhyme. Clay and Jeremy still continued to bore their tense expression into her and she could practically hear them internally screaming for her to run now, but she stayed. 

Finally, Negan came to a stop, finishing the song right in front of Clay, point his bat in front of his face. "And you are IT" He said proudly as Clay glared up at him. "Looks like we have our lucky contestant " Negan boasted, holding his arms out proudly. "So what will it be sir, the bat, or the wolf....Your call."

Clay's glare turned into a smirk and it was a good thing that Negan had no clue who these people were to her or what they were for that matter. "I pick the wolf" Clay said as if he were completely sure of himself. Negan drew his head back and stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to make of Clay's attitude. There was no fear in his voice and Negan narrowed his eyes and smiled at him with interest. Jeremy looked back and forth between Clay and Negan in surprise, not knowing what was going through Clay's head. Clay was still staring back at Negan with daring eyes as if he were saying 'challenge'. 

Finally Negan grinned and rocked back on his heels. "So it shall be...ACE....Do your thing....Get him" He ordered, pointing at Clay with Lucille. Bree took a few steps closer, her heart pounding as she realized that she was out of time and she was going to have to think on her feet. As she approached Clay, he was still wearing that same smug smirk and Bree could feel everyone flinch around her as they prepared for a bloody scene. 

Bree was now face to face with Clay and everyone was anticipating the attack. She let out a growl and showed her teeth in his face to buy herself a little more time as her and Clay's eyes dueled, trying to decipher what the other one was thinking. The air was heavy with anxiety as everyone braced themselves for what was going to come next, but none of them predicted what Bree finally did. Her eyes softened as she looked at Clay and now was her moment to let everyone know what team she was on. 

No matter how supplied, how armed, or how safe being with Negan was, he would never be her family. Her family has seen her when she was at her weakest and took the time and patience to build her up to become strong and in that moment she knew that the only reason why Negan kept her around was because she WAS strong and all he wanted to do was exploit her for everything she was worth, even for her looks by forcing her to become a wife. She knew that the Alexandrian's were bad news but if her family was with them, how bad could they be? She made her decision. 

Turning her back to Clay, She turned around and moved so that she was the only thing standing between Negan and her father and brother. "Ace" Negan said in a low warning voice, unsure of what she was doing. Bree crouched down and let out a deep vicious growl, showing her teeth to let him know that he could no longer control her. 

All eyes were trained on the two of them and Bree could tell that his sudden loss of control was making him nervous. "Ace...Easy there girl...Think about what you're doing" Negan warned her. Bree didn't need to think, her loyalty would always be with her family no matter what. She didn't want it to come down to this, but Negan forced her hand and now he was going to pay the price from it. Bree rocked back and forth and walked towards him, still growling as she herded him closer to the RV, trying to get him as far away from the line up as possible and showing him that she had no fear.

He reluctantly backed up as he tried to keep his cool in front of everyone. Bree stopped when she head multiple clicks around her as several guns aimed her way. Negan held up a hand to them, giving them the signal not to shoot as he looked down at Bree through knitted eye brows. She was still showing her teeth and growling as if she were letting him know not to come any closer. "Well, can't say I didn't try to warn you" Negan finally said and shrugged.

He cocked his bat back while he secured his footing and nailed Bree right in the rib cage with it, knocking her off of her feet and sending her rolling in the other direction. She let out a high pitched yelp as he completely knocked the wind out of her lungs and she heard a hollow thud echo throughout her body. "Now, BEFORE WE GET BACK TO BUSINESS, ANYONE ELSE WANNA TEST ME!" Negan yelled deeply, arms open for challenge. 

Jeremy and Clay looked over at Bree sadly as she tried to fight to get up. She was in so much pain and she was pretty sure he cracked some ribs as she laid there, trying to recover. "Didn't think so, now where were we....That's right, you!" Negan said, directing his attention back on Clay. Clay nervously looked back and forth from Negan to Bree as Negan said "Sorry...Looks like you are just going to have to settle for the bat" as he swung back to hit Clay. 

Before he could make contact, Bree found a burst of strength she didn't know she had and she jumped up and grabbed a hold of the bat in her strong jaws, thrashing and growling fiercely, trying to get it out of Negan's grasp. "WHAT THE FUCK!" Negan yelled in surprise, not expecting her to jump up the way she did. Bree was now on her hind legs with her teeth deep into the bat, locking onto it so Negan couldn't break it free from her. She was now playing tug-of-war with Negan and Lucille and when she finally got the bat away from him, she threw her head back and tossed it in the woods like it was nothing. 

Negan's face grew red with rage as he tried to stomp and kick her with his boots, but she was quicker than him and dodged around it. Everyone was still kneeling on the ground in fear, not knowing what to do and unable to react with being out numbered and having all of their guns trained on them. Bree turned back around and jumped at him in attempt to kill him the way she killed walkers, but he moved his forearm in front of him just in time and Bree grabbed a hold of it. 

Negan let out a deep yell along with a few profanities as he began to punch her in the head but she wouldn't let go. She was unable to pierce his skin from the thickness of his leather jacket but she was still putting enough pressure on his arm to hurt him as he jerked his arm around trying to get her to let go. All the Saviors stood around with their guns ready but no one wanted to take a shot with how much the two of them were moving around, in fear of hitting Negan or one of their own. Her teeth ended up sliding off the meat of his arm and now she just had the sleeve of his jacket in her mouth as Negan tried to pry her off.

One of the men grabbed an ax and began to approach her but the man with the ginger hair jumped up and tackled him to the ground so he could not interfere. What happened next all came so fast that no one had the time to process it until it was done. The Savior that the red head tackled to the ground pulled out a hand gun and fired it at him. The bullet missed him but managed to hit the Asian man right in the eye, sending him to the ground. He rolled over from the impact and everyone saw that he was dead. 

Bree let go of Negan and they both turned their attention to the gun fire that was followed by multiple screams and cries from the people of Alexandria. Bree learned that the poor Asian man's name was Glenn because the sick woman kept screaming it over and over as she grieved for her lost love. Bree could feel her heart break and before she could react, the red haired man let out a yell in agony and grabbed the Saviors ax and planted it right in the back of his head, making him collapse to the ground. 

Negan took one look at Bree and then back at the scene before him and stomped over to them, deciding this was more important than Bree. While he was distracted, Bree turned to see if Clay and Jeremy were OK. They were very shook up from the quickness of the events that just happened but they were unharmed, at least for now. Jeremy looked back and forth between her and Negan, as he started to yell at the red head for killing a Savior right in front of him and with seriousness, Jeremy told her to run. 

This time Bree listened to his advice and high-tailed it to the woods while Negan was distracted. She knew that there was not much else she could do and that if she stayed that there was a good chance that she would end up dead. She prayed that Jeremy and Clay would be OK and even though she didn't want anyone else to get hurt, she knew that the red head was going to pay for killing one of Negan's men right in front of him and she hoped that would be enough to satisfy Negan's revenge. When she was far enough away to not be seen she laid down behind a fallen tree trunk and tried to catch her breath. 

Luckily as a wolf she had sharper hearing and she could still hear everything that was going on. Her rib cage was throbbing now from Negan's strike with Lucille and she could smell blood leaking through her fur from the barbs. She was still high from the adrenaline rush and as she laid down, she found it was getting harder to breathe from the pain and she closed her eyes to try to focus on something else. She must have passed out because when she opened her eyes, dawn was now peeking through the trees. 

She jerked her body up and looked around as she tried to get her bearings. Negan and the Saviors were still out there with the Alexandrian's as she heard Negan's deep voice carry throughout the woods. It sounded like he was getting ready to leave and Bree felt relieved. She quietly made her way back over to the line up, praying with everything that she was worth that Clay and Jeremy were still alive. When she got close enough, she crept down so she wouldn't be seen and she tried to make out who was there. 

Much to her approval, she could see the tops of Jeremy's and Clay's head moving from behind the shrubbery, signifying that they were still alive. Relief coursed through her veins and she looked around to see that the red haired man wasn't so lucky. Negan must have found Lucille and did a number on him because there wasn't much left of his head. There was another man laying close by him that suffered the same fate.

Finally, Negan wrapped up his speech and all the Saviors headed back to the trucks at once, leaving the now broken people of Alexandria to lick their wounds and bury their dead. Once they were gone, Bree took off running towards the direction of Alexandria where the rest of the pack would be able to find her. She wanted to go back to where Jeremy and Clay were but it wouldn't be smart as a wolf. She figured it was best that the Alexandrian's never see her as a wolf again, at least not until she was able to have a sit down with Jeremy. She planned on leaving a trail once she made it to Alexandria so they could find her and she could enter their community as a human with her pack. 

So much had changed for her in the last few hours, she couldn't wrap her head around it but one thing was for certain. Her family was alive. Nick was alive. Her stomach was jittery with excitement as she imagined being in his arms again and it helped carry her feet towards the community of Alexandra.

(I put a lot of thought in these past few chapters, can someone please tell me what you think on where things are going...I'm curious to see who is still reading, I know I have at least one reader, anybody else out there? Is there anything I can do to make the story better?)


	16. Come Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short cutesy chapter. Dedicating this one to freenegan2k18 for being such an awesome and encouraging fan! :D

After the Alexandrian's made it back through the gates of Alexandria, Rick called a meeting to the church with everyone about everything that went down with the Savior's. Jeremy and Clay ran back to the house that they shared with Elena and Nick to tell them the good news about Bree bring alive. Everyone was very emotional about this news but the pack knew that they would have to attend this meeting or else it would look suspicious. 

Clay walked over to Nick and clasped a hand on his shoulder. "We got this, we'll cover for you...Go get our girl" He said to Nick giving him a smile. Nick's heart was still beating out of his chest knowing that his love was alive and he looked to Jeremy for reassurance. Jeremy smiled and gave him a nod and Nick took off running to the gates. He couldn't wait to set his eyes on Bree again and hold her and tell her how much he loved her. It all seemed so unreal that she was alive and well and he felt like this was a reoccuring dream that he's had many of times. 

As he made his way over to the gates, he ran into Rosita. "Nick...Oh my God Nick" She breathed as she went running into his arms. Nick hugged her in reluctance and she cried in his chest. "It was horrible...They killed Abraham, Glenn, and Aaron" She choked out between sobs. "I know, I know, I just talked to Jeremy, he told me what happened, I'm so sorry Rose" He said resting his cheek against his forehead. They stood like that for a moment more and then Rosita pulled away from him and said "Come on, We have to go meet with Rick and the other's at the church. Rick wants to fill everyone in."

She grabbed his hand to pull him towards the meeting but Nick stopped in his tracks. Rosita turned around in confusion and looked at Nick with a puzzled look. "Nick...What's wrong? Aren't you coming?" She asked, not sure what to make of his behavior. Nick looked at her with a lost look in his eyes and slowly shook his head back and forth. "Why?" Rosita said bluntly, not understanding what could be more important. Nick continued to shake his head and said "I can't...I just can't...Look Rosita....What we had was fun but I can't do this anymore, I don't want to do this anymore...I'm sorry. I have to be honest with you, this will never turn into anything more then what it is."

The truth was that Nick and Rosita had grown close in his time at Alexandria and over the past week they had been hooking up in their spare time. It seemed like they were both using each other to fill some sort of a gap in their lives and Rosita made it clear to Nick that it was all purely physical and nothing else. 

Rosita first looked at Nick through hurt eyes and then they slowly turned to a glare. She threw his hand down out of her grasp and huffed. "Fine...It doesn't matter, we have bigger things to worry about now...Maybe it's for the best" She said coldly. "Look Rosita, I'm sorry, it's just that-" Nick started but what cut off by Rosita who held her hand up to silence him. "Uh uh, I don't care, I don't want to know, it's not gonna change anything. Even though you are done with me you should still go to the meeting...Or don't, I don't care anymore" She said through a shaky voice, trying to keep her emotions in check. 

Before Nick could say anything else, she turned away from him and starting heading to the church by herself. Nick sadly watched her walk away. He knew that he had just hurt her and he felt bad but what was he suppose to do? Up until ten minutes ago, he was sure that Bree was dead and never to be seen again and it had been almost a year since he last saw her. He had grieved her disappearance for so long and even contemplated taking his own life so he could be with her again. Then he met Rosita and their talks made him hurt less and less and even though she made it obvious that she had no intention of commiting to him, her company was still nice after being alone for so long. 

As Nick made his way to the gates, he put Rosita to the back of his mind and focused on seeing Bree again. Everyone was heading to the meeting so there was no one watching the gates and Nick was able to slip out with ease and he didn't have to come up with an excuse as to why he was going out. After latching the gate behind him, he was practically smacked in the face by Bree's scent all around him. It brought tears to his eyes and he stood there for a moment as he breathed in her smell. He never thought he would ever smell her essence again and he had to pull himself together to be able to look for her. 

She definitely made it easy for him. Every so often there were fresh scratch marks in the dirt and Nick knew it was from her. It was a little game they would play every now and then, (before the world fell) to see how fast they could find each other when ever they were working on their tracking skills. Every time him and Bree split up, she would always dig her paws in the dirt so that he could always find her. Nick smiled at the track marks and took off in a sprint to find her.

His heart was beating like crazy in his chest and his face looked the most cheerful then it had since he lost her. Her smell was getting stronger and stronger and he knew he was getting close. All the sudden he came up into a clearing and there she was. Nick stopped in his tracks and drank in her beauty as he looked at her in complete awe. He couldn't believe it was her, it really was her! She stood about 50 feet in front of him as they locked eyes and in that moment, Nick knew that she had been searching for him just like he had been searching for her. She was still in her wolf form and Nick could tell she was beaming at the sight of him. 

Nick continued to watch her as if she might disappear and she began to shift back into a human. After a series of bone cracking, grunts, and groans she laid on the floor, catching her breath from what her body just went through. Her dark hair was spilling around her face acting as a curtain and Bree jerked her head back to get it out of her face and they locked eyes once more. Bree started to cry and Nick ran up to her and close the distance between them. Bree had just enough time to stand up until Nick was on her. They were a mess of tears, hands, and kisses as they both ravaged each other without words. He finally found his girl and in that moment he vowed that nothing would ever take her away from him again. 

Nick held her face in his hands, practically squishing it as he laid hungry kisses all over her face and head. He then pulled her into him and they held her for a moment, enjoying being back in each other's brace. "Nick...Oh my god...I thought I would never see you again...I saw Clay and Jeremy in the line up and I thought...." Bree couldn't finish her sentence and she let out a sob. "Hey hey hey" Nick coaxed her, slightly pulling away to look at her face still in his hands. "Shhh, I'm here now, we found each other, that's all that matters, I love you so so much, I just can't believe you're really here" He said as he pulled her into him again and placed a kiss on top of her head. 

Bree tilted her head up to kiss him and Nick deepened the kiss. In a matter of seconds they were all over each other again. Nick slowly pushed her back until she was flesh up against a tree and continued to kiss her as he hands roamed her naked body. Bree bit his lip and he pressed into her harder causing Bree's stomach to do flips. She trailed her hands over his chest, down to his sides and then to the front of his pants and she ran her hand over his erection, relishing the feel of him again. Nick moaned into her mouth and bucked his hips into her, signifying that he wanted more. Bree smirked against his lips and quickly undid the zipper and pulled his pants down in one quick motion. Right away her hands went to his ass and she admired the feel of it. Still as firm as ever, that was one of the many things about him that turned her on.

Nick nuzzled down to her neck and gave her a few licks and nips before he reached down and grabbed her by the back of her thigh, lifting it up to his hip and pressing himself into her, enjoying the little squeal that she made. Bree held onto his shoulders for support as he guided his length up to her entrance and in one urgent thrust he was inside her. There was nothing slow or rhythmic in their pace as they made love for the first time being back in each others embrace. They were so hungry for one another, all the gentleness that they had before turned into rough needy arousal and they both moaned and cried in pleasure, not caring who or what heard them. 

Bree hooked her leg around his hip and used it to jump up as he grabbed her other leg so now she was fully straddling him and pressed up against the tree. Nick used this momentum to quicken his pace and in a patter of minutes they both came undone at the same time, finishing with a loving smile and a passionate kiss.

Panting and sweaty, Nick pulled himself out of her and gently set her down. They shared another kiss and he let go of her to pull his pants up. Bree watched him that a tantalizing smile and Nick caught her gaze. "What?" He asked with a playful smile as he shrugged out of his jacket. "Nothing...I just still can't believe we are both here together. I love you so much Nick, you wouldn't believe everything I've been through since I last saw you" Bree said feeling over-whelmed. 

Nick draped his jacket around her shoulders and helped her get into it and he placed a loving kiss on her forehead. The jacket was still warm from him and it felt amazing against her cold skin as it practically engulfed her. Luckily it went down almost to her knees, covering her completely so she wouldn't feel exposed walking back to Alexandria. "We will have plenty of time to catch up...Right now we need to head back, you have a family that is very anxious to see you" He said giving her a smile and zippering up the jacket in front of her. 

Bree gave him a smile and hugged him with her eyes closed saying "I'm just so happy to be with you again, I love you so much", feeling like she couldn't say those words enough. "I love you too, and I never stopped. We have all the time in the world to tell each other these things because I am never EVER letting you out of my sight again" He said and he reached down and scooped her up bridal style, carrying her all the way back to Alexandria. 

As they made it safely back through the gates, Bree realized that she was now at the residence of the people who killed every one at the outpost. She began to feel uneasy and shifted her body in Nick's arms. "What's wrong?" He asked, sensing her discomfort. Bree looked up at him and gave him a half smile. "N...Nothing...I'll tell you later" She said. Right now she just wanted to be reunited with the rest of her family and she didn't want anything to ruin that. 

As Nick carried her through the compound, Bree got a good look around. It was cute, very homey feeling. In these walls of Alexandria it was like you would never know what horrors took place on the outside. They had quite the community here. As Bree looked around, Nick took her to the front of the church. Right as they strolled up, Rick's meeting got out on time and the member's of the community were starting to pour out. Bree was still in Nick's arms as she made eye contact with some of the members. They eyed her suspiciously because they had never seen her before and then she recognized a few from the line up. 

Rosita came out and stopped when she saw Nick and Bree together. She glared at them and stomped the other way before Nick saw her. 

Rick and the woman with dreads stood on the steps of the church and looked down at her through beaten uneasy eyes, not sure of what to make of her. Before any words were said, Clay, Elena, and Jeremy exited the church. Nick set Bree down and she walked a few feet in their direction and stopped as they all locked eyes with her. Bree trembled as her smile grew bigger and bigger as they looked at her with endearing eyes. 

"BREE!" Clay finally exclaimed. He jumped off the side of the railing and ran up to her, tackling her to the ground. "Clay!" Bree cried as his crushing arms wrapped around her in a strong embrace. All the members of Alexandria stopped at the commotion and they all couldn't help but smile at the obvious reunion. They all knew what it was like to lose people and to see such a sweet reunion was a nice distraction from everything that had just happened in the past 24 hours. 

Clay kissed Bree's forehead multiple times and put his head to hers saying "God I missed you so much, I can't believe your OK, don't ever scare us like that again darling." Bree smiled through her tears and nodded her head. She had always loved it when he called her that. After Clay finally let her go, she made her way over to Elena and hugged her. "I'm so proud of you, you did so good" Elena said as she embraced her. "I'm just so happy you are all alive and well, we can be a family again" Bree said in her ear. Elena nodded and kissed her on the forehead the way Clay did and then let her go so she could make her way to Jeremy. 

After her and Elena had their moment, Bree then turned to Jeremy, her alpha. He slowly made his way down the stairs of the church, looking at her as if she would vanish at any moment. Bree took a few steps his way, tears still rolling down her face and then she ran to him. She jumped in his arms and held on to him tightly, breathing in his scent. His scent always had a calming effect on her and she broke down in sobs from the familiarity of it as Jeremy held her. Jeremy gently stroked her back and kissed her head as she continued to bury her nose in his chest and coaxed her using soothing words as they held each other. It was such an over-whelming and relieving feeling to be back in the presence of her alpha after she thought that she had lost all of them. 

As Jeremy held her, she continued to cry out everything she was worth and Rick approached them. Making eye contact with Jeremy, he said "When you guys are done, I'm going to want to have a word with her." Jeremy nodded his head in compliance and said "I understand, I promise you will, jut let me and my family enjoy this time together, we have been separated for so long and there is much to be discussed."

Rick nodded and said "Send her my way when you are done." Before walking off with the dark skinned woman and the boy with the eye patch. After they left, Jeremy held Bree's face and slightly pulled away from her. "Let's get you inside OK? I'm sure there are many things that need to be talked about." Jeremy said before he placed another kiss on her cheek. Bree nodded and let Jeremy lead her to her new home that she was going to share with her family. Nick came up behind them and snaked an arm around her waist and they gave each other heartfelt smiles. 

She knew that she was going to have some serious explaining to do eventually but in the mean time she was just happy to be reunited with her family again. As much as she didn't want to, she knew that she was going to have to tell Jeremy all about Negan and what went on at the Sanctuary.


	17. Not So Innocent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to apologize in advance for this chapter...There's a very good chance this one is going to be poorly written. I've been really sick these past few days with the flu and very drugged up on cold meds so that's why its been a minute since my last update. Haven't really been able to think much about writing because I've been pre-occupied on work, sleep, and trying to feel better but I'm getting sick of T.V. and need something more engaging so here it goes, I'm just gonna write and see what I get. From here on I shoot without a script!
> 
>  
> 
> BTW Be sure to check out my prequel on this story, This Animal I am Becoming! It is a short completed story of 7 chapters and it basically goes into how Bree and Nick got together. Let me know what you think!

After Bree and her pack got over the initial rush of emotions of her return they took her inside of their new home. Her and Elena went in her room to look for some clothes so she could get out of Nick's jacket. "Here...This should fit you, you've lost weight since I last seen you" Elena said in concern, holding up a white sundress. Bree eyed the dress Elena set before her. Wasn't really her style but it would have to do for now. "Yeah...It's been hard to eat the way we are suppose to while living at the Sanctuary, I didn't really want to bring attention to myself" Bree said as she shrugged out of Nick's jacket. Elena looked at Bree sadly. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that...It must have been horrible for you there."

"Actually it really wasn't that bad...Negan and I came to sort of an understanding. They have a community there just like this one with people, families, and children...I mean Negan could be a total dick at times but it definitely could have been worse" Bree explained. Elena looked at her as if she didn't understand what she was saying. Bree knew that she was going to be doing a lot of explaining soon with Jeremy so she held off on telling Elena everything. After Bree put on the dress, Elena looked at her proudly. "There now, that's much better, have a seat, I'll braid your hair" Elena said warmly, directing Bree over to the bed.

"Ugh...I hate dresses" She said as she plopped down on the bed. Elena playfully rolled her eyes and sat down behind her. "This is only temporary, as soon as you talk with Rick I'll see if we can find you something that suits you more, it's gotta be better than wearing nothing but Nick's jacket" She said as she sectioned Bree's hair. Bree was going to fire back with a comment but became mesmerized by the feeling of Elena doing her hair. It had been so long since she had been somewhat pampered like this and Elena used to fix her hair all the time back at Stone Haven. The feel of her fingers took her back to how simple life used to be compared to now. She didn't realize how home sick she was.

Elena styled her hair in a loose side braid and when she was done Bree took a look at herself in the mirror. It took her a second to realize that the girl staring back at her was herself, She couldn't remember the last time she looked this girly. "Wow" Was all she could breathe out. Elena gave her a loving smile while she gently set a hand on her shoulder. "See, much better, there was a beautiful girl under all of that after all" Elena joked. Bree turned to Elena and gave her a sincere thank-you and hugged her. "It's so good to be with the pack again, I missed you guys so much" Bree said, getting teary eyed. Elena pulled away from her and softly rubbed her face. "We missed you too...Come on, it's time to talk to Jeremy" Elena said before leading her down stairs. 

The moment Bree and Elena got downstairs, Nick was by the staircase waiting for them. He smiled when he saw Bree and picked her up off the last step and twirled her around in the air. Bree squealed and then he set her down and placed a loving kiss on her lips. "As much as I enjoyed the look of my jacket on you, I have to say you look beautiful baby" Nick teased as he nuzzled her neck. "Eh...You know how I feel about dresses" Bree groaned. "Yeah, but you know how I feel about seeing you in a dress" Nick sassed back as he let out a seductive growl in her ear that gave her the giggles. After she settled down he grabbed her hand and said "Come on, Jeremy's waiting" as he pulled her into the living room. 

Sure enough, Jeremy, Clay and Elena were all spread out in the living room, waiting to hear about her life since their separation. Nick and Bree sat down on the couch and Bree and Jeremy exchanged glances back and forth. Nick held Bree's hand for reassurance as she began to feel nervous, knowing that she was about to tell Jeremy everything. The room was quiet as they continued to stare at each other and Bree let out a shaky breath. As if she were ripping off a band-aid, she dropped her head in shame and said "He knows". She heard everyone draw in a sharp breath but she didn't pick her head up to face their disappointment.

After a moment of silence, Jeremy spoke up. "How?" He demanded. Bree drew in another uneasy breath and sighed. She picked her head up and began to explain.

"When I first discovered the Saviors, I was a wolf. Shortly after we became separated I changed because it was easier for me to survive. I guess I must have broken some time barrier or something because I stayed a wolf for so long with out any other human interaction that I became the wolf." Bree paused as she felt her pack exchange surprised looks with each other.

"I had forgotten how to change back and I assumed that there was no longer any life out there so I stopped trying...And then I met the Saviors. I was so happy to finally see people after so long, I went with them. I bonded with their leader who later I learned was Negan and I was sort of a pet to him. I was with them for a few weeks until one night my body forced me to change in front of him. He saw everything and he knows all about our kind."

Bree couldn't quite decipher Jeremy's expression and she began to shake, not knowing if he was angry. "I'm so sorry, I really am. There was nothing I could do to prevent this, once the change started, I couldn't stop it. It was like my wolf was calling the shots and it decided that time was up-" Bree was cut off by Jeremy raising his hand. "Do all the Saviors know?" he asked bluntly. "No, just Negan and a few others, he promised me that he wouldn't tell anyone else...I made a deal with him..." Bree said, dreading what she was about to say. "What deal?" Jeremy asked sharply.

Bree hesitated and took a deep breath. She looked at Nick one more time before answering "I agreed to be his wife if he kept our secret." 

Bree felt Nicks hand tighten around hers in an uncomfortable grasp as she heard him draw in a sharp angry breath. "Guys, I swear, I didn't do ANYTHING with him! I wouldn't! I think the title was mostly for show, I mean he flirted but we NEVER did anything" Bree tried to frantically explain. "I'm going to go get some air" Nick said through gritted teeth before he stood up, letting go of Bree's hand. "Nick please" Bree tried to reason but Nick stomped out to the front door. 

Bree's eyes began to water as she watched Nick leave the room. Jeremy walked over and took Nick's seat and put a hand on Bree's shoulder, redirecting her attention. 

"Look Bree, I believe you, you have given me no indication not to but you have to understand, Negan is a very very bad man to these people and they will not take any chances after what happened last night. I do not blame you for telling him what you are and I understand that was out of your control but him knowing is now our weakness. No one here at Alexandria knows what we are and he could use that against you...Rick is expecting you by the end of the day, you cannot tell him that you came from the Sanctuary. If you did, he would not let you stay, or worse he will want to kill you. Everyone here is on high alert from everything that has happened with good reason, you have to promise me you won't tell him...Can you do that?" Jeremy asked seriously. 

Bree stared back at Jeremy as she hesitated to answer. There was just one thing bothering her about his statement. Her eyebrows furrowed and she asked "How is Negan considered the bad guy after Rick and his people were the ones who slaughtered a whole outpost of his men?"

Jeremy straightened up as he looked at her, surprised at her question. "Bree, he takes over communities and forces them to scavenger for him and he is very brutal about it, surely you must know this" Elena stepped forward, answering for Jeremy. "Yes but we didn't even know about Alexandria until the outpost incident, if Negan is so bad, why did Rick go out of his way to piss him off?" Bree said, truly not understanding the motive. 

"Because a community called the Hilltop came to us and asked for our help" Jeremy returned back to the conversation. "The Hilltop?" Bree said, surprised that they were the ones behind this. "They killed a young boy in their community and they were afraid the killing wouldn't stop there so they made a deal with Rick to take out Negan in exchange for supplies" 

Bree's eyes went wide when she realized what he was talking about. She had a flashback of that awful day and she couldn't bring herself to tell Jeremy that she was the one who killed that boy. In a way, she was the one who started this war. Guilt washed over her and she dropped her gaze in remorse. "Rick was worried that Alexandria would be next so he struck first" Jeremy finished explaining. Bree stayed silent for a moment as she absorbed his words and then something that he said had clicked in her brain. "Wait...You said us...Does that mean..." Bree trailed on, not knowing if she wanted the answer to her unfinished question. 

Jeremy slowly nodded his head. "Rick asked for our help on this. I didn't think it was a good idea and my attempts to talk him down were useless, he made up his mind. We all went to insure the safety of our people and that Rick succeeded in putting an end to the Saviors, up until last night we had thought that we won, but we were wrong" Jeremy said sadly. 

Bree couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her family helped kill the whole outpost of men all over a misunderstanding that was pretty much her fault. It was all so much for her to wrap her head around, she began to feel disgusted, with herself, with her pack, and with Alexandria. Her eyes narrowed and she took a shaky breath and shook her head back and forth. Jeremy continued to stare at her emotionless. 

After pausing for a moment to find her words, she realized that there weren't any. "I think I need some air" She said, mimicking Nick's words as she stood up. Jeremy shook his head, giving her the OK to go and she took it. She didn't even bother to look at Clay or Elena on her departure. 

She made it outside on the porch as she breathed in the fresh air. She spotted Nick out of the corner of her eye. She turned to look at him and as their stared at each other, a series of emotions played between them. Bree wanted nothing more then to jump in his arms and tell her how sorry she was and how much she loved him but along with seeing the man that she loved, she also saw the killer that was present the night the outpost was taken down and it bothered her. 

She couldn't help but look at her sweet Nick differently, even though he was just following Jeremy's orders, it still didn't make it right. Nick was looking at her thinking that all he wanted to do was touch her, but he couldn't get the picture of another man's paws all over her out of his head. Just the fact that Negan had the opportunity to call her his wife before Nick did boiled his blood. He realized that Bree was only trying to protect their secret and he stepped towards her to hold her and tell her everything was going to be OK. 

Much to his surprise, Bree back up away from him and looked at him with a lost look in her eyes. Words didn't have to be spoken for him to know why. He sadly backed off and Bree ran off the porch away from the house. She needed some time by herself to digest her and Jeremy's conversation and to figure out how she felt about it. 

 

(I know this one was short but I'm gonna have to stop here. I'm having trouble focusing and I think I need to go lay down. Hopefully I'll have the next part up soon and Negan should be in the next one!)


	18. Double Cross

Bree did just as Jeremy told her and she lied to Rick. She told him that she had been on her own ever since she separated from her family and that was that. He asked her the usual questions...'How many walkers have you killed...How many people have you killed and why'. She wasn't quite sure what he was getting at considering most people wouldn't be alive today if they haven't had to put any of the dead to rest and as far on how many people she had killed, that was a secret that she would take to her grave. Rick sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to pull that one out of her. 

Once Rick gave her the clear, for the next few days she learned what life was like at Alexandria. She was given a job which felt more like a purpose, helping Olivia with disbursing supplies and inventory. She tried to spend most of her time there, only interacting with her family when she needed to. She wasn't completely giving them the cold shoulder but she was putting enough distance to let them know that she was still upset over their part in the out post massacre. She was happy to be with them again but when she thought about what they helped accomplish it made her sick. Everyone seemed to understand this and they gave her some space. 

Nick would still try to get her to see why they did what they did but whenever he would start she would just walk away. She didn't want to hear it and nothing could rectify what had already been done and she needed some time to deal. They would still sleep together at night but they hadn't made love ever since the day she came back. This deeply bothered Nick. After being apart for so long, all he wanted to do was be around her and for things to be like they used to but he feared that those days were permanently gone, just like everything else. 

Working in the stock room, Bree began to befriend some of the Alexandrians. Her and Olivia bonded pretty quickly. She was friendly and open minded and Bree liked how they could talk like everything was right in the world again. Bree wished that she had known her before the world fell apart because she really enjoyed her company. Surprisingly, Bree even managed to befriend Carl as well. At first he would follow her around as if he were spying on her. Bree had a feeling that he did this because he didn't trust her so when she would notice him keeping an eye on her she would call him out on it and get him to talk to her. She learned about his passion for comic book characters and he even confided in her about his mother Lori and what he had to do. Whenever he was free he would hang out at the garage where she worked and keep her company when Olivia wasn't there. 

After a few days of being at Alexandria, Bree and Olivia worked out a system where Bree would open the garage in the morning and then Olivia would be the one to close it at dusk. One morning when Bree was opening, she noticed that there was a girl leaning up against the garage, waiting for the door to open. As Bree got closer, she noticed that it was one of the girls from the line up. If Bree remembered correctly, her name was Rosita. 

As Bree walked up, there was something odd about her that made her feel uneasy. She stared at Bree as she arrived, not looking away or breaking eye contact. She wasn't sure if it was her own gut feeling or her paranoid wolf that was telling her that she was being threatening. As bree walked up to her, she gave her a smile and a nod that was not returned. Rosita continued to stare her down as she undid the lock on the garage to open it. Bree gave her a weird look and pushed the door up and asked "What can I get for you?" 

"A rifle" was all she replied. Bree looked at her in question and nodded her head and walked over to the gun safe. Rosita's stares was starting to agitate Bree. "Hasn't anyone told you that it's not polite to stare" Bree said, finally breaking the silence as she grabbed the gun out. Rosita smirked at her. "Sorry...I just wanted to get a good look at who I was dealing with" Rosita harshly replied. "Excuse me?" Bree said snapping her head in her direction. Rosita chuckled and shook her head. "You know, the only reason Nick came to me is because he thought you were dead...I see the way you have been treating him lately, I think you need to lighten up on him, your the one he loves, not me."

Bree didn't understand what she was getting at. "What on Earth are you talking about?" Bree asked suspiciously. Rosita looked at her with an obviously fake dumbfounded look. "Ohh...I guess he didn't tell you..."

"Tell me what?" Bree demanded, starting to feel angry. Rosita smirked at her and didn't say anything. Rosita grabbed the rifle and signed her name on a clip board as Bree continued to stare at her with fumes practically coming out of her head. As Bree began to digest what Rosita was telling her, Rosita walked out of the garage with a sick smile on her face. She walked only a few steps before Bree called out to her.

"Wait!" Bree yelled. Rosita stopped but didn't turn around to face her. Bree walked up to her while saying "So let me get this straight...You're telling me that before Nick and I found each other that you two were messing around?" 

Rosita turned to her with a smile on her face. "I guess that's what it looks like doesn't it?" she said smugly. Bree could feel her anger take over and she began to shake. "And YOU came here today, on my shift to rub it in my face, didn't you?"  
Rosita shook her head and let out a snicker. "I just figured you should know what your man has been up to since you last saw him, I guess I did you a favor since he obviously didn't feel like you should know."

It took Bree every ounce of anger not to snap and tear Rosita to shreds like she desperately wanted to. Rosita looked her up and down and smirked. Once she realized that she had finally accomplished what she went there to do, she told Bree to have a nice day and turned her back to walk away. Tears of anger and jealousy rolled down Bree's face and there was nothing she could do but go back to work. She would deal with Nick later when she had a chance to calm down. 

Later that day when Olivia came in, Bree ended up caving and she broke down and cried, telling her what happened with Rosita. After Bree told her everything, Olivia looked at her as if she were holding something back. "Sweetie...I'm so sorry...I just assumed that he told you and that's why you were being so distant with him."

"Wait...You knew?" Bree asked, trying not to jump to conclusions. "Well I'm pretty sure everyone knows, I mean for a while they were pretty obvious with how much time they spent together, like I said, we all just assumed that you knew."

Bree was speechless. How this got past her without knowing for as long as it did baffled her since apparently it was on the Alexandria daily news channel. Bree took a deep breath and slowly let it out before saying "I'm going on break". Olivia let her leave, almost as if she understood what she needed to do and then Bree stomped off back to the house. She was thinking the worst of Nick and she really didn't have no other choice. He lied to her about shacking up with another woman in her absence. She knew that he had no way of knowing that she was alive and they that they would be together again but the fact of the matter was that he lied, and she didn't understand why which made her believe that there was more to it. 

Bree angrily walked to their house, and as she turned the corner and the front porch came into view she stopped abruptly. She was beginning to believe that she was living in a nightmare. Sure enough, sitting on the steps of the porch were Nick and Rosita, sitting down, looking like they were having an intense conversation. Bree's face twisted into a scowl and she just about lost it. She ran up to the house as if she were going to tear the two of them apart. "SERIOUSLY NICK?" She yelled as she charged up to them. Nick and Rosita stood up at her sudden appearance and Nick rushed over her to calm her down. He began to explain himself but honestly, even if he was being true, Bree couldn't hear him. She was fuming and practically foaming out the mouth at the sight that she just came up on.

"Nick, I seriously don't give a shit about whatever you have to say about WHATEVER the hell this is, you lied to me! How the fuck do I not know that you haven't been sneaking around this whole time since I have been back" Bree yelled, waving her arms around. She was beginning to feel irrational but she didn't care. "Because I've been WITH you as much as you have been allowing me to be ever since you came back! Bree, please just listen to me, I swear I ended things with Rosita the moment I found out you were alive and waiting for me, please just calm down and try to understand" Nick said putting his hands on her trembling shoulders. 

"It's true, he did end things with me the day you showed up, I just came over to tell him that you knew everything, that's all" Rosita stepping in, acting innocent. Bree channeled her rage at Rosita. Shrugging out of Nicks grasp she stomped over to her to get in her face yelling "The only reason why I knew is because YOU came to my job and told me! You knew exactly what you were doing to psychotic whore, and now I catch you at my house with my fiance! Did you really think I would be OK with that!?" 

Nick was already trying to get between them but Bree kept walking around him, showing Rosita she had no fear of her. Jeremy must have heard all of her yelling because he was now on the front porch, witnessing the argument. "Look, I was just doing everyone here a favor by telling you, secrets like this do not stay hidden and I am NOT sorry about anything" Rosita growled. 

"Wait a second" Jeremy spoke up, coming off the steps. "You didn't tell her?" He said, addressing Nick. Nick looked nervous as he said "I broke things off with Rosita completely, I was going to wait for the right moment to tell her but after our last family conversation I didn't think it was a good time"

"Nick, that is not fair to Bree, I told you that you needed to be upfront with her about your life in her absence, you told me you took care of it" Jeremy said sternly. "Ohh that's great, you lied to me and you lied to our alp-...Jeremy, any other secrets you want to fess up to Nick?" Bree said as she lightly pushed Nick in agitation. "HEY! Don't you touch him!" Rosita screamed as she roughly shoved Bree back away from Nick. 

Bree gave Rosita a look as if the gloves were now off and she charged at Rosita only to be ripped back by Jeremy. Rosita tried to charge at Bree as well but Nick grabbed her. These scene became a mess of the two girls screaming and trying to kill each other which caused a disturbance, bringing everyone who was in earshot on their feet and alert. "You need to deal with this...NOW" Jeremy ordered Nick as he dragged Bree into the house. Nick swallowed and nodded his head and Rosita shrugged out of his grasp and stomped away with Nick following after her. 

Bree continued to yell every profanity at them and Jeremy cupped a hand over her mouth and pushed her inside. After he closed the door, he was prepared to give Bree a stern talking to about controlling her anger but when he turned around, he saw that Bree was having an anxiety attack. She couldn't seem to catch her breath and she was pacing around and crying uncontrollably. "Hey hey hey, Bree it's OK, calm down, relax" Jeremey put his arm around her right away and directed her to the couch, making her sit. He could feel her trembling and he knew that she was hurting from how Nick handled things. Jeremy rubbed her back and held her and she cried it out.

Every now and then she would try to say something but it came out as jibberish through her sobs and Jeremy just shushed her as he helped her try to get her emotions in check. Finally she was able to get a grip on herself and Jeremy got up to grab her a glass of water. He put it in her hands and said "Drink" so she took a sip and then drew in a deep breath. "I'm so sorry Jeremy, I didn't mean to lose it back there but I was just so angry. Rosita came to the garage this morning to pretty much rub it in my face about her and Nick and then later I came here to talk to Nick about it and then she was here with him."

"I'm not mad at you Bree, I truly understand your predicament, it was wrong of Nick to try to keep that from you but you have to realize, we are guests here. You are the newest member and that automatically puts you on the spotlight. Everyone here is still very jumpy from what happened with the Saviors and you cannot start causing scenes like this and bringing attention to yourself. From now on I want you to stay as far away from Rosita as possible and I am going to talk to Rick and ask him to make sure Rosita does the same."

"Pfft...You don't have to tell me twice, I don't want nothing to do with that nasty, dirty whore, piece of-" Bree started to say but stopped from the look Jeremy was giving her. "OK OK, I'll stay away from her and as long as she does the same, I promise I wont cause any more problems, as long as she stays away from Nick too."

"I'll talk to Nick, and I'll also have a word with Rick about it as well" Jeremy agreed. Bree sighed and put her head down. "Is it OK if I go back to the garage?...I'd like to try to get my mind off of this" Bree asked. "You may, but i want to address one more thing. I know Nick hurt you but please try not to be so hard on him. We all thought that we were never going to see you again and meeting with Rosita helped him deal with the loss. I have not seen or heard about them getting together again since your return. I know you are still upset with all of us and I hope that you find forgiveness in your heart. We all need each other now more then ever and I want to see us pull together instead of fall apart, all I want is for us all to work through this and be the family we used to be."

"Jeremy, I get that attacking the Savior's wasn't your idea but you didn't know those people like I did. I mean surly Negan is who he is but everyone else there is just trying to survive like we all are and they are just trying to work with the hand they have been dealt. You have taught me well enough to know that those people did not deserve to die, I promise I will try to seek forgiveness but only if you seek understanding."

Jeremy looked at her in deep thought as her words played in his mind. He was proud of her for her compassion and in that moment he began to feel bad that he had let her down. Jeremy nodded his head and wrapped his arms around her. "I am sorry I have caused you to lose faith in me, just know that we will always love you and we just want whats best for you."

Jeremy always knew what to say to make her feel better and she smiled. She had missed the special bond that they had and for the first time since she had been back she felt it rekindling. "I'm going to go back to the garage, I need to clear my head" Bree said as she stood up. Jeremy nodded and waved her off, granting her his permission. 

Before Bree went back to the garage, she decided to take a stroll around to help clear her mind with fresh air. She thought about everything that Jeremy said and that she didn't want to be angry at her pack anymore for what they did. It would take some time but life was so short and definitely not guaranteed in this day and age. She decided that she was done holding her grudge and that it was time to let it go. As for Nick and Rosita, that was a different story. It was going to be hard but eventually her and Nick were going to have to have to have a calm sit down about everything that happened and why he lied. 

Bree had been walking for a while and she realized that she made it to the front. She thought about going through the gates to gain some privacy, since everyone in Alexandria was looking at her like she was some sort of wild animal. Word must have spread like wildfire after her incident with Rosita. As she walked up to the gates to get Spencer who was on guard to open them she stopped dead in her tracks, She caught the silhouette of a tall man, standing lazily and whistling a jolly tune with a baseball bat over his shoulder. "Dun dun dun dunnnn" She heard a loud deep voice booming on the other side after three heavy knocks. Sure enough it was Negan. 

"Little pig little pig, let me in!" He called from the other side. "Shit" was all Bree could say before she took off running in the opposite direction. 

 

(OK so I might a lied, Negan wasn't totally in this one but he will definitely be in the next when things begin to heat up again! Sorry! BTW that last part is one of my favorite Negan scenes, I think I've watched that part like 100 times)


	19. Who is in Control?

"They are terrorizing everyone" Jeremy said as he nervously peaked out the window. Bree was just a few paces behind him, anxiously looking over his shoulder while the rest of the pack paced in worry. "They are here early...I thought you said that we still had a few days?" Bree asked. "We did...They must be here to try and make a statement" Clay said from behind the couch. "They are raiding the houses...There is a good chance they are going to come here, Bree, you have to hide somewhere safe until they leave, if Negan catches you...." Jeremy trailed on, not wanting to think about the possibilities. 

"No! I won't let them take her, they will have to get through all of us if it comes down to it" Nick interjected, protectively standing close to Bree. "Pfft, and have me forever be guilty if anything happens to any of you? No way! You have to promise me that if worse comes to worse you will let ME deal with Negan, even if that means me leaving with him" Bree pleaded. "Absolutely not!" Jeremy fired back at Bree. Before Bree could reason with him, he said "He has put you through enough, you are not going anywhere and if it comes down to it, we will all show them our true strength if it means to protect you."

"Jeremy! They have guns for Christ's sake! Our true strength will do NOTHING against that! I will not risk losing any of you for my own safety, I am NOT the omega that you remember me as, I can take care of my own problems now, I have been doing so all this time I have been without you! I will NOT be shushed or babied or ushered out of the room whenever there is conflict against our family ever again, I am just as capable of survival as everyone else in this room and I have proved it!" 

Bree felt bad about sticking it to her pack the way she did but she also felt it was time they heard it. Jeremy stiffened his upper lip and stood over her. His influence was so intense that she was forced to take a step back in submission. "No matter what happens...You will NOT leave this house...That is an order...From your alpha" He said sternly through gritted teeth, looking her directly in the eyes. They intensely locked eyes and the rest of the pack fell silent. Bree knew that Jeremy's only intention was to try to protect her but she was afraid to find out at what expense.

"Understood?" Jeremy said finally. Before Bree could answer, there was a sharp knock on the door. Everyone's heads jerked in the direction of the door and tension filled the room. "They are here, we are out of time" Elena said in a panic. "Clay, take Bree upstairs, do whatever means to make sure she stays safe, the rest of us will stay down here and deal with the Saviors." Jeremy barked as he made his way over to the door. Before Bree could process or defy anything Jeremy said, Clay was already dragging her by the hand and pushing her upstairs. She briefly made eye contact with Nick and he tried to give her the best reassuring look her could give.

Clay brought her to one of the upstairs bedrooms. He opened the closest and told her to get in. "Clay, you have to let me go, I can stop all of this. I know Negan and I know I can talk to him or make a deal with him or-" Bree tried to reason with Clay but was cut off. "No, you will not leave this room until I give you the clear, we are going to follow Jeremy's orders and stick to his plan. Look darlin', I know that you just want to help remedy the situation but I know men like Negan, there are not easy to barter with, he is not afraid of bloodshed to get what he wants, you are not safe with him after what you did."

Bree stared back at Clay with wide eyes, trying to digest what he said when they heard a commotion down stairs. They both jerked their heads to the door and then Clay pushed Bree in the closet. "Stay in here, no matter what you hear do NOT come out, lay down and be still" Clay ordered, urging her onto the floor of the closet. "Clay, I-" Bree tried to argue back. "JUST DO IT!" Clay said harshly, making Bree draw back. He didn't want to get mean with her but she was forcing him to be. He grabbed a blanket and laid it over her and shut the door to head down stairs and see what was going on. 

Bree stayed in the closet for a few minutes, trying to tune in on the sounds that were happening below her. She could hear the voices of her pack and some other voices that weren't familiar. Every now and then she would hear noises that sounded like furniture moving and she was trying to think of what could be happening. She was beginning to feel like a sitting duck and she couldn't take the anticipation of her fate any longer. 

Doing exactly what Jeremy and Clay ordered her not to, she opened up the closet doors cautiously and peaked her head out. It sounded like everyone was still down stairs so she took her opportunity to exit out of one of the windows, on to the roof. 

While Bree was making her escape, Negan was at the supply garage where she worked, checking out their inventory and their resources. Poor Olivia was the only one there to answer to him. Arat was going through the gun inventory with her when she noticed that there were some guns missing and she practically dragged Olivia back up the stairs to face Negan. "Arat, you do not do that unless they do something to deserve it" Negan said sternly when he saw them coming up. "They have guns missing, a Glock 9 and a .22 Bobcat" She replied, handing Negan a blue composition notebook that had a record of all of their inventory. 

There was an awkward and tense silence among off of them and Negan turned to Rick in suspicion and asked "Is that true?" Rick tried to fumble around for an excuse as to where the guns might have went but Negan wasn't hearing it. "So Olivia sucks at her job...Is that what you're saying?" Negan said snidely.

"No, that's not what-" Rick tried to explain. "There should be a full accounting here, right? Top to bottom, am I right?" Negan said cutting off Rick and flipping through the book. "No...I mean yes...The inventory is correct" Olivia nervously spoke up. "Well good...But not so good too...You see what's in here, isn't in there, you're two handguns short...Do you know where they are?" Negan said seriously. "No" Olivia responded with a cringe. She turned to face Rick. "Bree was the last one to check the inventory...Maybe she might know who took them?" 

Before Rick could respond Negan stepped in, blocking Rick from Olivia and getting very close into her personal boundaries. "Wait a second...Bree? Feisty little girl, about yae high, dark hair, cute little button nose...Maybe 100 lbs soaking wet...Does that sound like the same Bree we are talking about here?" He said, sounding intrigued. 

Rick crinkled his eye brows in confusion. "How do you know Bree?" He asked, almost afraid to know the answer. Negan turned to Rick with a big smile on his face. "She just so happens to be my wife" Negan said, pausing after to let it sink in. He turned back to Olivia and took another step into her space. "Where's Bree?" He asked with a confident grin. Olivia tried to muster up another excuse but Negan cut her off again. "Don't care...Where's Bree?" He demanded. 

The both of them stayed silent, afraid to say anything more without understanding the full situation and Negan began to lose his patience. "Look, if one of ya'll don't start talkin'...Somebody here is going to pay the price, now I suggest that SOMEONE here go and fetch Bree soon because if you don't, we will have to go back to square one...Am I clear?"

Rick reluctantly nodded his head and headed off toward's Jeremy's house to look for Bree. When he got there, he saw that the Saviors had already started raiding their house and were carrying out mattresses to one of the trucks. Rick spotted Jeremy and flagged him over. The rest of the pack followed. "Jeremy, I need Bree....Negan is asking for her" Rick said bluntly, trying to cover his anger. The pack stared back at Rick through wide eyes, unsure of what to say. "Look, he know's she's here, things are going to turn way worse than they already are if I don't bring her to him. I know that she lied...I really need her to come out now and face Negan before someone gets hurt."

"No, she can't...I won't let her do this...She is not going any where near that asshole" Nick said stepping up. Jeremy held up a hand to silence him as he thought about what Rick said. "Jeremy please...I know what she means to you but things WILL get ugly if I don't find her right now" Rick pleaded. Jeremy took a deep breath and processed his words. "Clay...Go get Bree" he finally said. 

"NO! Jeremy, please don't do this...We can figure something out, we can fight them" Nick panicked. "No...Bree was right, Negan knows she is here now and he won't stop until he gets what he wants. We will not have anymore bloodshed in our name, it is not fair to anyone here...We will handle this as a pack and do what we can to insure her safety. Clay, go."

Nick wanted to argue but he understood where Jeremy was coming from so he just ate it. Clay left to go retrieve Bree and Rick turned to Jeremy and said "Thank you, I know this is hard on you but this could save a life today." Jeremy didn't respond back but just stared at Rick coldly. He really didn't want to do this but they were backed into a corner with no other options. Deep down, he believed that Bree could handle herself but the alpha in him wanted to protect her. He was forming a plan to offer himself in her place and agree to almost anything to sweeten the deal. 

When Clay came back empty handed everyone stared at him in horror. "She's went to him already" Jeremy stated. "She must have jumped out the window, there is no way she would have gotten past Negan's men" Clay said, looking around the side of the house. "Come on, we have to find her before he does!" Jeremy said as the pack scattered to go look for her.

Bree was already on her way to go find Negan. She had no clue what to do or say to him but she knew it was time to face the music before someone else did in her place. When she finally found him, he was sitting on a bench casually next to Olivia who looked terrified. She was crying and that broke Bree's heart because she was such a good person and she was paying for the feud between her and Negan. Negan looked up as she approached and she stopped dead in her tracks. 

Immediately his lips pulled into a slow grin and he stood up. "There she is! Woman of the hour!" He exclaimed as he walked over to her. Bree remained silent, glaring him down as he approached. She had braced herself for just about anything he could have possibly done to her in that moment, except for what he actually did. As he got closer, he outstretched his arms and pulled her into a hug. Bree froze as her muscles tensed at his embrace, really throwing her mind through a loop from his action. 

"I've missed you sweetheart" Negan said as he held her. "You took off so quick, we didn't even get a chance to talk. How have you been? It's been a while" He said as if he were greeting an old friend. Bree continued to stay silent, not sure what to say to him. A hug was the last thing she expected and she was afraid of what was to come next. Negan slouched to look her in the eyes as he put a hand on her face and gently guided her chin up to look at him. "Come on now, didn't you miss me? Even a little?"

Before Bree could answer she felt a sharp pull inside her, making her gasp and immediately put her hands to her chest. "Whoa! You OK there doll?" Negan asked, showing genuine concern and confusion. Before Bree could answer she felt the pull again run though her with more force, nearly knocking her off of her feet. Negan grabbed her around her biceps to steady her as he stared at her intensely, not sure what was going on. 

Bree closed her eyes and attempted to ground herself. She knew what was happening. The last time Bree saw Negan she was a wolf and she was assuming that her wolf was still bitter from their last engagement and she was trying to force a change on Bree. She wanted a piece of Negan and Bree could feel it. She was feeling like she was about to lose control. 

Bree kept her eyes closed and tried to tune out everything around her and focused on staying human. Eventually the pulsing stopped and she drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes. "You OK?" Negan asked a final time. "Yes, just don't do anything rash and I think we will be fine". Negan drew his head back and smirked. "You got some set of balls on you if you think your in a position to be making demands."

Bree glared at him and said "You need to leave Olivia alone, I'm the one you want and now I'm here so let's talk. What do you want from me?" Bree asked, getting right to the point. Negan let out a slow chuckle and smiled at her. "You are too cute, such a statement coming from such a little girl, let's walk, shall we?" Negan said, holding out his arm for Bree to take. Bree glared at him and walked past him, refusing to take his arm which only made him laugh. He caught up to her and put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him. Bree turned back to look at Olivia who was staring at them hopelessly. "I'm so sorry" Bree mouthed to her before Negan pulled her away.

Once they were alone, Negan broke the silence. "So I've had quite a bit of time to think about our last encounter" He started. "Ya" Bree said bluntly. "How long were you planning to turn on me huh? Were you just making it up on the spot or was this an elaborate scheme to try to get one over on me?"

Bree stopped and turned to face him. "I didn't plan anything...Those two people that I was defending were Jeremy and Clayton...My family...I didn't know what else to do and I couldn't hurt them at your command like you wanted me to. I know that you have every right to be upset with me but please don't take it out on these people. I'm the one you want and I will do whatever to ensure their safety as well as my family's".

Negan stared at her a moment,contemplating her words. "Well as far as Alexandria goes, they made their bed and there is nothing that you can do to save them...As for your family...What makes you think that you are in a position to make any demands? Need I remind you that before this whole thing, you were on board with putting Alexandria in their place and now you want to help them? It's getting kinda difficult to see where your true loyalties lie hunny...What makes you think I even WANT you back after that stunt you pulled?" Negan said putting strain on his words. 

"Because...You know what I am...You know how powerful I can be and everything I can do for you...I know you and I know you want to harness that and I also know your feelings for me...If I go back with you I promise you will have my full compliance for whatever it is you want me to do in exchange for my family's safety. I want you to leave them alone and not harm them over your feud with Alexandria, there are good people here, just like there are at the Sanctuary" Bree said, trying to persuade him. Negan stared at her a moment, making Bree uneasy. 

"BREE" Nick yelled from a distance as he began to run up to her. Rick and the rest of her pack weren't far behind. Before Bree could do anything, Nick ran to her and wrapped his arms around Bree, pulling her away from Negan. "Are you OK? Did he hurt you?" He asked in a panic as he examined her face. "Nick, it's OK, I'm alright" Bree said trying to put him at ease. "Nick...So YOU'RE the infamous Nick...Wow, I can't believe I am finally meeting you...I'm Negan, but I'm sure you already know that" Negan said rocking back on his heels. 

Nick held Bree close to him as he glared at Negan. By then, Jeremy, Clay, Elena, and Rick were on the scene. Nick pulled Bree back and the pack stood between them and Negan. "Leave her be, if you want anyone, take me. You have already put Bree through so much, her suffering has come to an end" Jeremy spoke up. "Ahh you must be Jeremy, you're the alpha right?" Negan said putting him on the spot. 

Jeremy's eyes grew wide as he looked at Negan, surprised at what he said in front of everyone. "Yeah, I know all about that but don't worry, I won't say nothing...Unless you force me to...Then I may just have to shout it from the rooftops" Negan said with a cocky smile. Rick looked back and forth between Negan and Jeremy in confusion at what he meant. "Now I suggest you be the good little pups I am hoping you will be and you hand me back my WIFE."

"No...She will never be your wife and you can't have her!" Nick growled, tightening his grip on Bree. Negan shook his head and laughed. "Ohh man, I have a feeling it was going to come to this, Saviors!" Negan yelled as he called over his men. In a matter of seconds they were surrounded by a big group of saviors with guns pointed at them. Everyone tensed up from the threat and Negan said "Now that I have your attention, I would like to take back what is mine...Hand her over or I'll kill each of you one by one until you do".

"Nick please, it's OK. I'll be fine, I know how to survive with him, I got this" Bree said, trying to get Nick to let go of her. "No. I just got you back, I won't lose you, not again...I love you" Nick said seriously. Negan snickered. "That's cute...But love won't save you, not this time. You have ten seconds to decide...Ten...Nine" Negan started counting. "Nick, just please let me go, he's going to hurt someone" Bree cried as she tried to pull out of his arms. Nick told her no as he fought to hold on to her. Clay went over and put a hand on Nick's shoulder and looked at him as if he was telling him to do the right thing. "Seven...Six" Negan continued to count. 

Nick looked down at Bree as if this was going to be the last time he was going to see her, still not wanting to let her go. After a moment, he bent down and kissed her lips and then released his grip on her. Elena came up and held Nick along with Clay as he cried from Bree's loss. "Alright alright! I'm going with you! You can stop counting! It's done" Bree said urgently. Negan smiled. "Excellent! I'm glad that no one had to die today on account of someone's selfishness, you all made the right decision" He said as he walked up to Bree and put his arm around her shoulder. 

"Don't you touch her!" Nick screamed as he jumped up to attack Negan, only to be pulled back by Elena and Clay. Negan looked at them as if it was the most amusing thing ever and and tossed his head back and laughed. As Negan's grip grew tighter on Bree, She felt the same pull from before vibrate thew her body. It was much stronger this time and it brought her to her knees. "Whoa there darling, I promise there will be plenty of time for you to be on your knees once I bring you back home" Negan joked as he winked at her family. 

Jeremy looked at her in concern. He ran up to her and got down on her level. "Bree, what's wrong?" He asked in a panic. "Ah..it's...AHHHH" Bree tried to tell Jeremy but the pain was becoming too intense. She was doing everything she could to fight the change but her wolf was winning the battle. Negan looked at her with concern and he tried to pick her up on her feet only for her to double over again on the ground. "It's the change...Knock me out...Choke me...Do something! I can't stop!" Bree stammered. She began to feel her bones cracking and she knew she didn't have long. 

Just about everyone in Alexandria was near them now and Bree knew that she couldn't change in front of them. "Bree...You have to try to control it" Jeremy said as he grabbed her face. "I...I...CAN'T" Bree exclaimed, not meaning to yell but the pain she was feeling from fighting the change forced her to. She glanced up at Negan one more time who actually looked nervous for her. "Please...Knock me out...I..I can't...Control..." Bree managed to force out before she bent down and turned into herself, trying her best to harness her wolf within. 

Negan looked around and made eye contact with each pack member and then back at Bree. He crouched down to her level and rubbed the side of her face, really not wanting to have to do what she was asking. He knew that Alexandria didn't know what they were and at this point if they found out it could complicate things for him in the future and he would lose his bargaining chip with them. "Brace yourself, this is going to suck" Negan whispered to her and then he straightened up his posture. He flipped Lucille around and used the butt end to sharply jab Bree in the back of her head, successfully throwing her unconscious and and stopping the change. 

 

(Might be a while for the next update...Having a serious case of writers block and I'm gonna need some time to think about what is going to come next. Thank you to all who is still following this story! Just out of curiosity, do you think she should stay in Alexandria or should Negan bring her back to the sanctuary??? )


	20. Intercepted

Negan had plenty of time to think about the days events on his way back to the Sanctuary. Bree was still unconscious in the back seat and it was just the two of them in his truck, leading the convoy. Deep down he felt bad for pulling her away from her family, but she did offer herself up to save Alexandria and Negan felt like there was a reason why she wanted to get away. Before she found them, she always talked about her family and how much she missed them and he had a hunch that something must have happened for her to offer herself to him right from the get go.

Truthfully, he had full intentions of leaving her there with her family, but he couldn't say that he was disappointed that she was so willing to go back with him like that. Now that he understood why she reacted the way she did at the line up, he felt like the two of them could come to an understanding and maybe their relationship could go back to the way it was. He found her fascinating, not only for what she was but who she was. He admired how she refused to take any shit from him and she was one of the few people he could have a conversation with that wasn't based off of fear or ass-kissing. 

As Negan was driving, ever so deep in his thoughts, He was jerked out of them by a loud explosion going off up above the mountain that he was leading the Saviors right under. As he looked up, he heard more explosions go off behind him and he looked into the mirror to see a line of them forming after the first one. "SHIT!" he cursed as he pressed down all the way on the gas pedal. Just then, the explosions caused a land slide and a series of boulders came rushing down, colliding into the convoy behind him and sent them tumbling down the hill, completely wiping them out. 

Negan felt his heart beating rapidly as he raced to avoid being hit but he wasn't quick enough. A giant rock came crashing down through the trees and shrubbery and clipped the side of his tail gate, knocking his truck off of the road. Negan slammed on the gas to try to climb back up the mountain but it was no use as the back end began to slide down. The sand was too loose for his wheels to get a grip and once the truck started to slide, there was nothing he could do. The truck slide down and once it turned sideways it did a few rotations before crashing at the bottom of the mountain with the rest of his men. 

 

Bree began to stir away and she felt very sore. Not just in her head from where she got hit but all over her body. She felt like she got hit by a bus and when she finally opened her eyes, she couldn't believe what she saw. She was laying on the roof of Negan's upside down truck and Negan was no where to be found. She had a sheer moment of panic, not having a clue how she ended up like this and she tried her best to calm herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she tried to tune her sensed into her environment. She smelt gun powder, smoke...and blood. 

As she looked around, she could hear voices a little ways behind the truck and she tried to wiggle out of her spot to see what she was dealing with. As she moved around, she could see the shine of Lucille's barbs sticking out of the front seat and her heart dropped. Negan was rarely seen without that thing and she knew that this couldn't be good. 

She tried to climb to the front of the cab but realized she couldn't. Her legs were pinned down from the seats and she couldn't pry them away. She twisted and turned but it was no use, she was stuck. She heard yelling and she stretched herself to get a better look. Her jaw dropped at what she saw. 

There was a big group of men who were not Saviors, they had Negan and a handful of his men knelt on the ground before them. There was one man in the center who she perceived to be the ring leader and he was giving Negan a speech about how he was no longer in charge. He was demanding that Negan tell them where the Sanctuary was at but he stayed quiet along with his men and wouldn't tell them. There were a few other guys that were going from truck to truck, pulling out the wounded survivors and slitting their throats and then raiding them for whatever supplies they could find. That must have been the smell of blood that gripped her nose. 

Bree began to harshly move back and forth, trying to free herself. She was as good as dead if she couldn't break free and she had to get out of that truck. In the process of, she gripped the steering wheel and tried to pull herself out but her hand slipped, causing her to beep the   
horn. 'FUCK' Bree screamed in her mind. She knew this would draw attention and she had to act fast. 

"I thought you said the little lass you were with was dead" Negan's capture said eyeing him. Negan continued to glare up at them in silence, internally praying to God that Bree would make it out of this OK. The man smirked at him and yelled "CHARLIE!, Go check out what that was". The man 'Charlie' nodded to his leader and gripped his knife as he slowly walked up to Negan's truck with caution. As he approached the rear tires, he didn't hear anything and he swiftly dropped down on all fours to look inside. 

The truck was bare. There was no one in there and Charlie looked puzzled. Still on the ground, he turned back to his people and yelled "There is no one in here!"

Before his leader could call out another direction, Bree appeared, jumping over the truck, snarling in her wolf form and landed right on top of Charlie, causing him to drop his knife. After a brief moment of struggle, she managed to rip his throat out and she began to charge at Negan's captures. "GET HER! I WANT HER ALIVE!" The man in charge called out as he pulled Negan back by his jacket and held a knife to his throat. 

About a dozen men surrounded Bree. She crouched down and growled fiercely, showing her teeth in warning. She lunged at the nearest one, giving him the same fate as Charlie and began to move on to the next. She clamped down on his arm and viciously shook her head back and forth as the man cried out. Another burly man kicked her in the ribs which caused her to roll off of the man she was attacking but she still had a grip on his arm. As she rolled, she twisted him at the elbow and heard a series of snaps and then gave a final jerk, ripping his arm off, causing the man to let out an agonizing scream. 

She let go of him and turned to jump at another man that was about to hit her with a stick, successfully knocking him to the ground. She tried to rip his throat out but he used the stick as a barrier and jammed it long ways to the back of her mouth, causing her to bite on it instead of him. 

She began to struggle to get it out of her mouth and then felt a strong electric current pulse throughout her body. She was jerked and she let out a yip and the man was able to push her off of him. She tried to get up and she felt the zapping again and again until she could no longer move. She turned her head and saw that they were using a cattle prod on her. 

The men nodded at each other and then the began to hog tie her with rope, starting with her mouth. Bree looked over at Negan who was now laying on the ground. He must have tried to intervene when she was trying to fight off this new group and it didn't exactly work out for him. 

Their leader came over and watched with a smile as they tied her up, taking the cattle prod and holding it to her face. "My my my...Talk about a diamond in the ruff, you are quite a sight for sore eyes my dear" He said grinning down at her. Bree shifted her eyes to look at him and let out a low growl. "Come on now, none of that...Wow...You are absolutely beautiful" He said, squatting down to get a better look. Bree let out a more aggressive sounding growl and then he hit her with the cattle prod again, sending her body into a series of shakes. 

Once she stilled, he ran a hand across her back and clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Such a shame that I gotta turn you over to the boss man, I know hes gonna want to take a gander at you, you are just too good to be true."

Bree looked up at him with confusion in her eyes. It was very odd the way he was talking to her and she didn't understand it. "Hee hee...You probably have no clue what's going on do you? Well, I will let you in on a little secret my dear" He said as he moved closer to her. "I know what you are" He whispered. Bree looked at him through fearful eyes as he let out a laugh from her reaction. 'How the hell could he possibly know?' Bree thought, as she scanned her brain for any possible answer. 

He reached down to pet her again and Bree made a motion to chomp at his hand and he pulled back. "Alright, I gave you your last warning" He said as he held the cattle prod on her until she was motionless. Bree's body was completely numb as then men gathered around her, picking her up and carrying her over to the trucks. She caught sight of Negan and as she looked down at him, she wondered what his fate would be.

They obviously wanted access to the Sanctuary so they must have known who they were. As long as Negan and the rest of the few Saviors they held captive kept their silence, their lives would be spared. Bree feared for where they were heading and a terrifying thought entered her mind. Maybe...Just maybe there were men out there who were worse than Negan. 

She still couldn't wrap her head around how this man knew she was a werewolf, and most of all, how calm and reserved he was about it. He didn't smell like a wolf so that cancelled that possibility out and she didn't catch the scent on any one else. They threw her and Negan in the back bed of one of their trucks and shut the door. Negan was just as tied up and helpless as she was and she rolled over to him. She licked his face a few times and bopped him in the chin with her nose to see if she could get him to wake up. 

Sure enough, he began to stir awake and he opened his eyes with a grunt. "Ohh Bree...What did they do to you?" He said as he looked at her in pity. Bree looked at him through urgent eyes as she let out a low whine. "I know, I know, we will figure a way out of this...They are going to take us to their leader, only then we will see what we are up against...Hopefully it's just a small group of men tryin' to swing their dicks around to see who's is bigger...If you get any opportunity to get away, you have to promise me you will take it, don't worry bout me, I'll figure something out, If you escape, run to the Sanctuary and get Simon. He will know what to do...Just promise me you will do that Bree" Negan said. Bree had never heard him sound so desperate and she nodded her head to show that she could understand him. 

"Good" Negan said as he tried to adjust himself to get comfortable. Bree wished that she was able to tell him that this group knew what she was. The way she was tied up, if she shifted back, it would cause her serious harm. Also she would be left naked and vulnerable and that was not something she wanted to be in front of this new group. She wondered about their leader, who he could possibly be. She wondered if they had a vendetta against the Sanctuary and if this was some elaborate plan that was premeditated. She was going to find out soon enough exactly what their fate would be. 

 

(Gonna stray away from the canon for just a bit. Like I said I've been having some serious writers block and I'm hoping this new plot will help me get through it, as well as bringing the Negan and Bree relationship closer. If it all goes the way I'm thinking, Bree has got some dark times ahead of her and her and Negan are going to have to work together to get out of this!)


	21. The Blood

(Sorry I have been gone for a bit! I needed a while to think of where I wanted to go next with this, Kinda a boring chapter, I know...The next one should have more action in it!)

 

The moment that Negan and Bree arrived to their destination, they were instantly injected with a needle and fell unconscious soon after. The last thing Bree was able to make out was the front of an old run-down hospital before she faded away.

When Bree finally began to stir awake, she quickly realized that she couldn't move her arms or legs. Inhaling deeply back to consciousness, she flexed both of her hands, making a fist and outstretching her fingers. She was human again and was covered in nothing more than a mere hospital gown while strapped into a hospital bed. Memories of how she got here flooded her brain and she snapped her eyes open and began to take in her surroundings. 

Her heart began to race as she looked around the room in a panic. It was definitely a hospital and she could make out the silhouette of guards outside the door. Bree was strapped down to the bed good with leather restraints and she tried to pull and wiggle around, testing their strength. She could feel that she wouldn't be going anywhere soon. 

She jumped when she heard a mans throat clear and she jerked her head back over her right shoulder to see who was there. "Negan!" She cried when she saw he was in the room with her in the same predicament. They had removed his leather jacket so he was just in a white T-shirt and his grey jeans. "Oh my God, Negan! Are you OK?" Bree asked, trying her best to look him over. He looked a little groggy but for the most part he seemed OK.

"Just...Peachy" He grunted, not looking too happy. "How long have you been awake? Do you know who did this?" 

"...I came to just a little bit before you did...I have no clue who the fuck is behind this, but when I do they are gonna have hell to pay."

"Negan...They know what I am, they know about my kind...The leader who took us said so and he didn't seem too surprised...I think that is why I am still alive."

Negan looked at Bree in confusion, unsure of what to make of her last statement. He began to wonder what they had really gotten themselves into. He just assumed it was another power hungry group that had gotten word of the Sanctuary and they wanted a piece of the action, but them knowing about werewolves turned this into a totally different ball game. 

Before Bree and Negan could exchange another word, a voice startled the both of them. "Well well well, glad to see you both are awake" said a man who was standing in the doorway. Right awake Bree's face dropped into a scowl and Negan grinned to show no fear. "So you must be the limped dick mother fucker who is running the show, I do owe you a thank-you for bringing me here" Negan said, the smile not leaving his face. The new stranger looked at him as if intrigued. "Ohh yeah, and may I ask what for?"

He had a light British accent which almost could be mistaken for politeness. He wasn't a big guy by any means, he actually looked pretty average and Bree couldn't figure out what was so threatening about him that made her skin crawl. "Well, I'm thanking you because when I escape and take your ass out, you will have provided me with another community to provide for me...Unless I just decide to kill everyone and take all your shit, I guess how you behave from now till then will determine what I decide to do with you" Negan boasted with full confidence. If Bree's arms weren't tied down, she would have smacked him. 

The stranger just laughed and took a seat in front of them. "Wow, it looks to me like you are in no position to make such threats, that attempt was quite entertaining actually."  
"What can I say, I aim to impress" Negan said through gritted teeth. 

"Who are you and what do you want from us" Bree interrupted, wanting to cut to the chase. The stranger turned and he fixated on Bree, making her feel uneasy. In that moment, Bree figured out just what it was about him that set off all kinds of red flags. It was his eyes. They were cold, dark and empty and even though he was smiling at her, there was not a shred of life in them. "Finally, a question about what really matters" He said as he continued to stare at her. 

"You can call me Malaki...You must be the wolf that my...Associates informed me about" He said as he stood up to stand over her. Bree looked at him in terror and tried to scoot as far away as her restraints would allow her to. "And you are quite extraordinary if I do say so myself" Malaki said in practically a whisper as he reached out to graze the side of her cheek. Bree closed her eyes and flinched away not wanting to be touched by him and she jumped when Negan yelled "DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HER!" In his serious deep voice. 

Malaki pulled his hand back and looked over at Negan, smiling. "Oh...I see we found your weakness, that's interesting" Malaki said as he looked back and forth between them as if he were putting something together. "Please...Just tell us why we are here, we can try to work something out" Bree tried to reason. "All in good time love" Malaki said, giving her a wink. "You both should be so happy you're here" He continued on, pacing in front of them. "Oh yeah, I'm about as happy as a pig in shit right now...Your point?" Negan sassed. 

Malaki chuckled and lightly shook his head back and forth. "You are quite the joker aren't you...You should be happy because look at me, look at where you are...You found yourselves in a building full of people that are doctors...scientists...military specialists, who are all working towards one goal...Do you know what that is?" He asked. "Not a fucking clue but I'm sure you will tell us" Negan said rolling his eyes. While Bree admired his confidence it also made her want to punch him in the face with them being as helpless as they were right now. 

"A cure" Malaki said raising his eyebrows. "A cure?" Bree repeated as if she couldn't believe that is what this place was about. "A cure....A cure that you two are going to have a part in helping us create...You two, have a chance to become a part of history...Now doesn't that sound exciting?" 

"What can I say...I'm thrilled" Negan said bluntly. Malaki smiled and turned to Bree when she asked "You guys are seriously working on a cure? How on Earth are you going to accomplish that?"

"I am glad you asked, you see that is where you come in. I'm not sure whether you realize it or not but with you being a wolf or a 'werewolf' I should say...That makes you immune to the infection...I know this because we actually had the ability to test this theory out on a willing volunteer...Well at least he was willing in the beginning...Anyway I do think that with a little modification, your blood could stop the spreading of the virus in someone who has come in contact" Malaki explained. 

Bree looked at him in horror. "What happened to the volunteer?" Bree asked, wondering if it was possibly someone she knew. "Ahh that's not important, what is important is that we now have a new wolf to bring us closer to saving humanity" Malaki said proudly. "Well that's all fine and dandy, sounds like you got it all figured out with miss Bree over here, what the fuck you need me for?" Negan asked. 

"Ahh yes, I haven't forgotten about you...I've been hearing from my resources about your so called Saviors and what you do to people. Sounds like you have quite a community under your belt there. You can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to hear that with how much the human race has thinned out over the years. Not so many eager volunteers to test on when they can't be bribed with things like money. Regardless the job still has to be done whether or not we have 'willing participants'"

Negan stared at Malaki for a moment as if he was putting the pieces together in his head and then he let out a slow and steady laugh. "May I ask what's so funny?" Malaki asked, giving in. 

"Hee hee hee...Ohh you think that I'm gonna tell you where the Sanctuary is so that you will have access to more victims to perform your little freaky deeky science experiments on...Wow...You're even dumber than you look" Negan chuckled while shaking his head back and forth. 

"See, that's where you are wrong...We still have a truck full of your guys that we can get the information out of so regardless I will find out where your compound is...I would prefer to skip through the bloody torture and have you just tell me yourself, but something tells me that we are going to have to do things the hard way." 

Malaki was starting to get a psychotic look in his eyes and it was beginning to scare Bree. "And what makes you think my guys are gonna tell you shit. They know better than to say shit to any of you, my guys are loyal and they all have family and people they care about that they are going to want to protect from whatever fun house shit you have going on here...Go on, I dare ya, try to get it out of them...You'll see."

Bree looked over at Negan as if he was crazy. He was putting a lot on the line and Bree was worried that Malaki would act on his threat. Sure enough Malaki smirked at Negan and walked over to the door to the two that were standing on guard. Opening the door, he looked back at Bree and Negan, still wearing his smirk and said loudly enough for them to hear "One of you go and tell William that I gave the OK to prep some of the newbies for questioning, tell him to not be afraid to get bloody if he has to".

Once one of the guards took off to carry out his threat, Malaki closed the door and gave Negan and Bree a devilish grin. As much as Bree wanted to tell Malaki where the Sanctuary was, she knew that she couldn't. As bad as she wanted to save the Saviors that they came here with, she too had people at the Sanctuary that she wanted to protect and for all she knew they could be wanting to kill every last one of them and use them for experiments. 

"Now that we all are on the same page with what is going on, you can still help them by telling me where your beloved Sanctuary is...I can always call them off" Malaki bargained. Bree kept her mouth shut and Negan said "How about I make you another deal. You let everyone go and I won't kill you, and trust me, I will get my chance, I always do".

"I'm sure you do but like I said, I don't think you are in the right place to be making threats...Now, I'm going to leave you in here to give yourself time to think about what is at stake if you don't give me the information I need. Bree's fate is pretty much sealed but you can still save yourself, I promise that your life will be spared, all you have to do is point your finger on a map and you are free to go...Until you come to your senses, I think it's time Bree and I have a little fun, I'm going to need some blood samples to see if your blood is compatible enough to host the cure. Were going to take a trip down to the lab buttercup, your tests start now."

Malaki walked behind Bree and began pushing her to the door. "Wait a sec....What happens if my blood is not compatible?" Bree asked in a panic. "Do you remember that other wolf I told you about? Well, lets just say he didn't exactly die of natural causes" Malaki answered with a smirk as he continued to roll her out of the room. 

Bree began to scream and try to fight against her restraints in a panic. "Oh relax love, we have learned so much since then, its not very likely we will make the same mistake twice" Malaki reassured. "She better come back alive you asshole! You better not hurt her!" Negan called out to Malaki before he left the room. 

Once they left Negan began to fight against his restraints to break free but it was no use. He knew that he could rely that his guys wouldn't say anything about where the Sanctuary was located but that didn't make him feel any better about what they were about to go through. He was hoping that this Malaki was full of dry threats and that this was all just for show. The only thing worse than what there current situation was would be if they did find the Sanctuary and all the people that he had been fighting so hard to protect got caught up in this mess. 

He was worried about what they were going to do to Bree but there was not much he could do at this point. Negan knew how strong Bree was and if there was any chance of them escaping it would be up to her. Aside from the line up, she had always had his back and she always knew what to do in a crisis, even though he felt like they were slightly out of their league with this one. Then again, if her blood was the only chance to find a cure, deep down inside he knew it would be selfish to spare her life when so many others could be saved. Negan prayed that this so called cure wouldn't result in Bree having to die.


	22. Bleed it out

The moment Bree arrived in the so called lab that Malaki talked about, she was instantly poked and prodded and asked a series of questions that she didn't feel comfortable answering. She was beginning to see why Jeremy was so strict on keeping their secret, this is what their exposure led to, and it was scary. It was making her wish she were in the comfort of her pack at this moment, they always seemed to know what to do in dire situations. For the first time since she found Negan and the Saviors, she truly felt that she was on her own. 

After her vitals were taken, Malaki slowly strolled up to her, eyeing her as if she were a piece of meat. Bree glared at him and for a moment they were in silence, staring each other down. All the sudden Malaki lifted up a closed fist to his mouth and blew into it causing a deafening sound wave that felt like it was going to make her ear drums explode. Bree cried out and twitched, trying to fight against her restraints so she could cover her ears, even though it was no use. 

"Ahh...P...Please...Stop!" Bree yelled in agony. Once Malaki was satisfied with the damage he had done, he pulled his fist back and dropped a dog whistle on the counter. "Well that's interesting...You can still hear canine frequencies in your human form..Hmm...I wonder what else you can do..." Malaki said with a crazed look in his eyes. "Your an asshole" Bree said, still panting from the pain she felt in her head. "I know love...Now there is just one more little thing we need from you before we can begin the process...We need a sample of your blood...You're turned blood."

Bree blinked at him a few times in hesitation as his words played in her head. "You need me to change" She said in realization. "Yes, I need you to be a wolf, now I am going to release you. Before I do I just want you to understand something. There are two very armed and very trained men standing outside those doors. They have tranquilizers guns, tasers, pretty much anything they need to take you down. If you decide to give me a hard time they WILL not hesitate to do so and on top of that, I'll make sure your mouthy friend dies. The ONLY reason why I am keeping him alive is to keep you in line, I could get the whereabouts to your precious Sanctuary from any one of the guys you were with and I fully plan to, as soon as I get what I need from you...Now that I have explained to you just what is on the line, do I have your cooperation?"

Bree stared at him and gritted her teeth. She had never had such a personal need to kill someone as bad as she did now. He seemed to have everything figured out and Bree was beginning to doubt her smarts on her ability to handle this. Again, she was missing her pack, they always seemed to know how to get out of just about any hardship that came their way and Bree was feeling like this was out of her league and there was no way out. 

"I can change, but I must warn you...I'm not like most Were's...I had a period in my life shortly after everything happened where the wolf was the only thing I knew. I ended up on my own and it was easier to survive in this new world as a wolf, so I did. I became the wolf and for a long time and I did not change back. Ever since I've been back as a human, I haven't had as much control over the wolf as I used to. If I'm anxious or scared or angry she has a way of taking over without consent and its hard for me to hold on."

"That's interesting...Well don't worry love...If 'she' decides to get out of hand, we have plenty of ways we can knock her down a few pegs" Malaki said as he undid her restraints. Once Bree was free she slowly lifted herself off the bed and rubbed her arms. She didn't realize that they had gone numb from how tightly they were bound and she rubbed them to ease the soreness and bring back circulation. Now that she was free, she wanted nothing more than to tear off Malaki's head but she didn't want to tempt Negan's fate. 

"Alright, get on with it, you know what to do" Malaki pushed her. Bree stared at him, not wanted to do what he was asking her but she felt like she had no choice. She closed her eyes and tuned everything out to channel her wolf. "Come on love...We don't got all day" Malaki pressured. "Would you shut up! I'm trying to concentrate and you are not helping" Bree snapped. She closed her eyes again and after a few moments she triggered her change. 

The series of snaps echoed through out her body and once she couldn't take it anymore and dropped on all fours. As her body morphed, her hospital gown fell off and her horrific body change was visible for Malaki and the few scientists that were in the room. She felt like she was performing a party trick that had gone wrong as all of them stared at her in amusement as she completed her change.

Once her body settled and her nerves stopped spazzing, Bree picked her head up and let out a snarl at everyone in the room. She could feel that her wolf was not happy and already she was having to fight for control of her conscious. Everyone seemed to shy away from her in fear except for Malaki, he seemed to be enjoying what she had become. "Fascinating" He said as he continued to stare at her in awe. 

Bree was fighting the urge to pounce on him and rip him to shreds. The need to do so was so intense it was almost over powering. She could practically taste his blood. Malaki gave the nod to one of his associates and the cautiously approached her with what looked like a needle on a long stick. As he came closer, Bree turned to face him and then growled viciously, crouching down as if she were going to attack. "Now now love, remember what we talked about" Malaki warned her. 

Bree stopped growling and as if she had sold her soul to the devil, she let the man get closer to her and draw blood. Once he was done, Bree stared at Malaki in defeat. "There now, that's all we needed...Just one little sample, feel free to change back, your services as a wolf are no longer required".

Bree growled at him again, showing her teeth and then she began the change back to human. Once she was back to herself, she crawled to the corner and cried, hugging her body and shivering. She was seriously over this place and she just wanted to be home with her family. She was afraid of what this guy was going to do to her and she couldn't help but wonder after he made this so called cure if he was going to bleed her dry. "I wanna go back to my room now" She said, avoiding eye contact. Even though she was only wearing a hospital gown before, being forced to shift and now being naked make her feel vulnerable. 

Shifting was such a personal thing and having to do it in front of a room full of strangers when she was told her whole life as a wolf not to was traumatizing to her. "Very well...Go ahead and take her back" Malaki gave the OK. Two men flanked Bree's side and helped her up. Once of them tied a new gown around her and then guided her to the bed and re-did her restraints. 

Bree didn't say a word as she was pushed back to the room that she shared with Negan. She felt emotionally and physically drained after all the crazy tests they put her through today, she feared that they were going to step it up tomorrow since they were prepping her for the cure. As she was wheeled through the doors of her hospital room, Negan's face lit up when he saw her. He waited for her escort to leave before said anything. 

Giving her a good look over, he said "Well you look like shit...What he hell did they do to you?"  
Bree let out a sigh and turned her head away. "He...He made me change...In front of everyone..." Bree said in a catatonic state. Negan looked at her and sighed. He stayed quiet for a moment and shook his head. "Are you OK?" He asked. Compassion wasn't his strong suit but he knew what it meant for Bree to change, she still had a hard time doing it in front of him and he was sure she was threatened to do so. "No...But I will be" She said, still not turning to look at him. Negan nodded his head and stayed quiet. 

She tried to roll over on her side the best that she could. She didn't really want to talk about it anymore and she needed a moment to process everything that had happened today. She knew that she was going to need a plan to get out of this mess and it took her all until just recently to figure one out. Part of the reason why she hated to change in front of people was the way they looked at her when she did. She knew it was a terrifying sight to see but the way people react if what makes her feel like a true monster and that is what Jeremy was trying to protect her from all these years. 

Luckily, Clay had taught her how to never lose sight of her surroundings during a change. He told her to find one thing to focus on and use that to keep a grip on reality and to ground herself. When Malaki forced her into the change, all the faces in that room looked like they had seen a ghost. Clay's little trick help her keep focus on her surrounding that she even saw one of the scientists palm a scalpel, just incase of emergency. 

As Bree laid in the bed, thinking about this timid scientist, she turned her arm over to re-veil that same scalpel in her hand. This guy was so afraid of her that he didn't even realize he put the scalpel in his coat pocket and when strapping Bree in, he was so focused on her making an attempt to hurt him that he didn't even realize she snuck it right out of his coat pocket. 

Bree shoved the scalpel under the sheet of the bed after she looked around to make sure there was no one watching her. This was a start to a plan and as bad as she wanted to cut her and Negan free and make a run for it she knew she had to wait. She had to learn more about the building and her captures or else there would be a big chance she would fail miserably and lose her only chance. There was also a big part of her that wanted to know more about this cure. If it was true, this could be a big game changer for the future and park of Bree felt like she would be selfish if she didn't learn more about it. Could she really be the key to saving the human race from the dead?

 

(Sorry if this chapter was lame and/or had errors in it....The husband came home and was very distracting, I didn't have a chance to read it over or make it as long as I wanted.)


	23. Radioactive

The next day, Bree was awoke bright and early for another round of tests. After giving her semi-decent meal, they began extracting fluids from her and taking her vitals. Malaki continued to lurk around while they were doing this and Bree did her best to avoid eye contact with him. She was still shaken up from the day before and on edge about what today was going to bring. 

A few men and women dressed in lab coats were in the room with her, lightly talking among themselves as if she weren't in the room. They were exchanging information that was of no use to her so she did her best to tune them out and search for her happy place to deal with whatever torture they had in store for her today. 

A man entered the room and gave Malaki a nod and then went to each of the scientists, she assumed, and whispered something in their ears. One by one, each person left the room until it was only Bree and Malaki. Bree stared at him as if she was expecting him to explain himself. Malaki gave her a smile and then said "It's time for another test...You're going to love this one...Or at least I will". Bree sighed and rolled her eyes. Before she could tell him where he could stick his test, every muscle tensed in her body and her eyes shot wide open.

She was praying that her ears were deceiving her but sure enough, rounding the corner of the glass window, two men were struggling with one of the dead on two catch poles. Bree began to panic. "Whoa, whoa what is this? What are you doing?! Oh my God, please...Please get it out of here" Bree shrieked as she tried to move as far as her restraints let her. Malaki smirked. "Oh come on now love, relax....All I need is one bite...One bite just to be positive your blood can withstand infection, can't take any chances" he said in a sinister voice. 

Bree looked back and forth in horror between the walker that was jerking it's way towards her and Malaki. Before Bree could protest another word, the two men pushed the walker at her, causing it to stumble on her bed and land right on top of her. Bree started to thrash around and scream and Malaki just watched the whole time with an eager smile. She had absolutely no way to defend herself and she fell her heart beating in her ears from the terror of what she was about to endure. 

The walker began to push itself upright and it began stalking up to Bree's face. Bree jerked and craned her neck in the opposite direction, causing the walker to sink it's teeth into her neck, tearing away a small piece of her flesh. Bree cried out and Malaki signaled the two men to pull it off of her. Bree started to sob and shake, feeling her blood ooze down her neck and onto her shoulder. Her skin felt like it was on fire and she started to have a panic attack, unable to catch her breath. 

"Shhhh shhhh, it's alright now love, you will heal soon, that's one of the benefits of your kind, remember?" Malaki tried to counsel her as he pushed a towel up to her wound. "You...You are a monster...You are an evil wicked monster, and you better pray to whatever God you believe in that I don't get free because when I do, I'm going to kill you!" Bree yelled in anger. "You won't be saying that when I make this cure...You will see, everything I have done has been for good measure, once I start to heal people and bring back the human race everyone is going to love me....Who knows? they may even make me the next president. You will appreciate me when I heal your sick friends that get bit, we are making history here and every sacrifice will be worth it".

Bree shook her head with tears still in her eyes. "You are insane, you get off on hurting people and forcing them through your experiments" She said weakly as Malaki began dressing her wound. "Well maybe...The work still has to be done either way, might as well seek a little fun out of it, besides I know it will all pay off. Once we make this happen word will spread and people will come from all over for what we have. Think just what they will be willing to trade for the rest of their life or their loved ones life in a bottle" He said giving her a wink. 

That was when Bree realized that there was no guilt tripping him or getting him to see just how wrong all of this was. He truly enjoyed watching people suffer and maybe that is the reason why he felt like he was the right person for all of this. All he cared about was the greedy end of this so called cure. He couldn't care less about helping people, he just wanted the fame and the fortune of saving the human race.

After Malaki was done patching her up he radioed for someone to go and bring her back to her room. "Well, I guess I'll see you in about, eight hours or so" He said checking his watch. "Can't wait" Bree said in a mono-toned voice as she stared at the wall. "Hopefully my hypothesis will be in your favor, according to our last test subject, I'm thinking you should be just about healed by then, if female werewolves heal just as fast as males, but I guess that is another theory to be put to test". 

Bree glared at him as he waved her off as she was pushed out of the room. When she arrived back into her room, Negan was there just as she left him. His eyes immediately went from her face to her neck and as he fixated on her wound his eyes grew black. Inhaling deeply he said "Bree...What did he do to you?" Through gritted teeth. Once her escort left Bree began to cry again. "He...He let one of them bite me" She choked out through sobs. Negan sighed and gave her a moment to gather up her emotions. "Breathe sweetheart...I know things have been rough but you can't fall apart now...We need to find a way out of here and soon, this guy is coo coo for crazy puffs and I don't want to wait to see what else hes got planned" Negan said as gently as he could. 

Bree sniffled and tried to pull herself together. She was emotionally weak from everything that she had been through from the moment she had arrived but she knew that she was going to have to endure more if she was going to get to the bottom of this so called cure. "Do...Do you think the cure is real? Do you think that my blood holds the secret?" She asked, wondering what his take was on this. 

Negan stayed quiet for a moment before answering. "Fuck no. There is no fucking cure. This guy is just fascinated with your species and he wants to play doctor. I seriously doubt he is a real scientist, he's just like those Nazi fucks that did all of those crazy experiments in Germany...He's on a power trip. He brainwashed all of those people into thinking there was one just to get them on his side...I know guys like him...He ain't shit doll". 

Bree played Negan's words in her head. He sounded so sure but she still wasn't. "What if I have the opportunity to help save people from turning, I mean wouldn't it be selfish not to at least give it a try and see if Malaki is really on to something here?" Bree asked. Negan turned to face her. 

"Bree...Look at me...There is no cure...And even if there was, are you seriously OK with him using everyone at the Sanctuary as test subjects? And then what does that mean for you? You become his own personal garden for him to harvest on for the rest of your life? Uh uh...This is not what your family would want you to do....This is not what JEREMY would want you to go through...Promise me that if you get a moment to escape, you will take it" he said sternly. When Bree didn't answer, Negan yelled "PROMISE ME!" Making Bree jump. "OK, OK, I promise" She said, not wanting to upset him any further. 

Negan nodded and for a while there was a moment of silence between them. "How are you feeling?" He asked, jerking Bree out of her daze. "I'm OK I guess, it's still sore but I can tell it's healing" She replied. "Good" Negan said as he nodded. She was so exhausted from her panic attack earlier she ended up dozing off. She awoke a few hours later to one of the nurses coming in to check on her wound. 

Both her and Negan were fixated on her as she undid the tape and pulled the bandage away. Much to everyone's surprise in the room, her bite was nothing but a dry scab, no more blood and no infection. "Malaki is going to be happy to hear about this" She said excitedly as she covered it back up. "You don't say?" Negan said sarcastically. The nurse pranced out of the room and a short while later, Malaki came in her place. 

He slowly walked over to Bree and peeled back her bandage to confirm what he had been told and then he smiled. "You're a fast healer huh?...Your wound closed up quicker than I predicted". "Hurray for me" Bree said as she rolled her eyes. "This means that we can move on to the next phase" Malaki said as he dug into his coat pocket and pulled out a syringe. Bree's eyes grew wide. "I bet your wondering what this is...This is the dawning of a new era. This needle contains the blood of a man who was freshly turned. Now do you remember when I said that your blood would need to be altered in order to host the cure? Well in order to make your blood strong enough to cure another, your going to need a hair from the dog that bit you".

As Bree and Negan put Malaki's words together, both their eyes went wide. "You stay they fuck away from her with that...You hear me? I will fucking kill you if you go near her" Negan threatened. Malaki locked eyes with Bree and smirked. "Lots of threats today" He whispered to her, giving her a wink that made her stomach turn. Malaki turned to Negan and gave him a smirk. "Even though this is of no concern to you...Seriously? You are tied to a bed for Christ's sake! Doesn't look like you will be doing much killing any time soon".

Malaki turned back to Bree and moved closer to her with the syringe. Bree stared at him in horror and leaned away from him. "Now you're going to have to hold still love, I'm going to have to inject this into your heart and I wouldn't want to miss" "You're going to kill her" Negan growled as he tried to fight against his restraints. "We will have to see about that" Malaki said as he pulled down the top of Bree's hospital gown. 

Bree let out a whimper as the needle punctured her skin to her heart. As bad as she wanted to fight to get away, she knew she couldn't move and she was forced again to let him do what he wanted to her. The moment the blood hit her system Bree began to scream. It was like she had fire ants traveling through her veins and her skin became hot and red. Dark lines appeared where her veins were and as the blood worked it's way through her system, her body started to violently shake. 

She could only hear the feint echo of Negan calling out to her and as her body convulsed she felt an unspeakable rage consume her. Her bones started to crack and she could feel her pulse going crazy like her body was prepping itself for a change and then it would reform and go back to normal. The pain she was feeling was out of this world and she screamed in agony and begged Malaki to make it stop.

Malaki cautiously took a few steps back as he watched her body react to the blood that he just injected her with. Her body continued to jerk and reform and just wenn it would get halfway through a change, it would morph back and then start the process all over again. This went on for about twenty minutes or so and it was the worse thing that she had ever been through in her life. As much as she wanted to be strong for Negan and her family, she wanted nothing more than die and be put out of her misery. 

Finally, Bree's body calmed and she passed out from the exhaustion and the trauma that her body went through. "Bree...Bree wake up!" Negan called out to her, but she remained still. Right away Malaki was at her side, using a stethoscope to check for her heart beat. Once he found it, he smiled. "She's alive...She made it...Her body was strong enough to withstand the blood after all" Malaki said as if he was surprised. 

"You fucking prick...What did you do to her!" Negan yelled in anger as he watched Bree. Her body was lightly twitching but she was still out cold. "Her body is still settling...Won't know any more until she wakes up...It is going to take a few hours until her blood changes composition, then we will be able to start doing tests to see if a cure was able to form" Malaki said as if Negan wasn't in the room. Negan continued to watch Bree, hoping that she would pull through whatever mad scientist shit they just did to her. 

Malaki checked and documented her vitals and then left the room, saying he would be back in a few hours to check up on her. Negan continued to watch over Bree, hoping that she would wake soon so they could figure out a plan to get out of here. He was afraid for what was going to come next after what he just witnessed and he didn't want to stick around to find out. 

After about an hour or so Bree began to stir awake. "Hey sweetheart...How you feelin'?" Negan asked cautiously as he eyes her. Bree fully opened her eyes but she didn't look at Negan. She just laid there, staring at the wall in front of her blankly and not saying a word. Negan sighed and looked at her with sympathy in his eyes. "Bree...I know they are doing a lot of fucked up shit to you and I know you are scared, if you can hear me over there you have got to try to pull yourself together. The only way we get out of this is if we work together, I promise you will have all the time in the world for you to mentally deal after we escape."

As if Bree didn't hear him, she just continued to stare at the wall, her eyes cold and lifeless. Negan scrunched his face at her and whistled. "Hey...Bree! Can you hear me? Bree!" Negan called out to her, trying to get her attention. All the sudden she slowly turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were a bright bloodshot red and Negan couldn't find a trace of the Bree he knew in her expression. He stared at her through confused eyes, not sure what to make of the girl next to him as she slowly turned her head back to the wall.

Bree couldn't tell if it was because of the emotional trauma from everything she had been through or if it was from the way her body was reacting to the blood but in that moment, the only emotion she could focus on was anger. Anger for everything that had happened to her since the start of the apocalypse that brought her to where she was now. Anger for getting separated from her pack. Anger over Nick sleeping with Rosita and the way she practically rubbed it in her face. For the first time in a long time she had felt weak. She felt like the omega that her pack never took seriously and she felt like the victim that Malaki wanted her to feel like, helpless and defenseless. She no longer wanted to be that girl and she was mad at herself for allowing herself to be like that in the first place. 

She started to breathe heavy in rage as the anger bubbled and built up in her body. "You OK over there Bree?" Negan asked nervously as he could practically see the war that was going on in her head. Bree gritted her teeth and began to rapidly dig for the scalpel that she had tucked away under her sheets. She pulled it out and began cutting away at the restraints that bound her to the bed. 

Negan's eyes darted from the scalpel to her. "Did you really fucking have that there this whole time?" He said in a low voice. Bree ignored him and kept cutting away hastily. Once she was free, she snapped out of the bed and began to march to the door, leaving poor Negan behind. "Bree...Aren't you forgetting something?" Negan asked, hoping that she would listen. Bree paused in the doorway as if she was processing his words. The rage that fueled her wanted her to keep going but something deep inside her made her fight it. She slowly turned around and walked over to Negan's bed and tossed him the scalpel. She started to walk away but Negan called out to her again. "Don't you think it would be a better idea to come up with a plan before you go all Rambo on their asses?"

She turned back to look at him with her head slightly cocked and Negan drew back from the unfamiliar coldness in her eyes. "Go find the others after you free yourself. I'm going after Malaki...Don't follow me" She ordered and then calmly exited the room.


	24. Your Fucking With the Wrong Wolf Baby

As Bree stalked through the halls of the hospital, she had red fury coursing through her veins with only one thing on her mind. She had to make Malaki pay for everything he had done to her and the Saviors. Her hatred for him was the only emotion she could feel, and she wasn't sure if it was fueled from all the torture Malaki put her through or if this was a side effect from the blood he gave her.

Her hands shook as she searched for Malaki, this was the most powerful rage she had ever felt. Just as she turned a corner, two men were just turning as well from the opposite end of the hallway. Bree stopped dead in her tracks and for a brief second they both stood there, unsure of what to make of the other. "We have a situation down here" one of the men spoke into a radio, never taking his eyes off Bree. 

Bree stared back coldly and her expression darkened as she realized that these men were going to try to stop her from completing her task. There was only one way to make sure that that didn't happen. As this thought popped into her head, Bree charged at the men in full force, not holding anything back. One of them pulled out a taser while the other one braced himself for what ever Bree was about to throw at them. Bree ran at the man with the taser first, dropping and rolling to the ground, taking out his legs before he could hit her with it. She successfully took him down and as the other guy tried to pry her off of him but it was no use. She was much stronger and she pushed him back, giving her enough time to snap taser man's neck. 

The unarmed man fell to the floor and scooted back in horror when he saw what Bree had done to his partner. Now Bree's full attention was on him and she prowled up to him, practically foaming out the mouth with crazy. "Settle down...We can talk about this...I'll get you anything you want...Anything" Unarmed pleaded as if his life depended on it. Bree stood over him, her face twisting into a nasty look. She reached down and picked him up by his collar and dragged him so he was looking her in the eyes.

"Where is Malaki?" She demanded. "I...I don't know!" Unarmed stuttered and flinched away from her. "WRONG ANSWER!" Bree yelled as she threw him back down to the ground. He cried out and put his arm out to try and shield himself. "WHERE IS HE?" She yelled again, crouching down to get in his face. "Ahh...He's...He's in the lab...He's testing your blood to see if it's close to developing the cure, I swear that's all I know!" He cried. 

Bree stared at him blankly and straightened up. She was going to walk past him but stopped short when she heard a little voice in her head say 'Finish him'. 

Without thinking twice about it, she flexed her hand and was able to just get the tips of her fingers to shift into the claws of her wolf. Drawing her hand back, she jerked it forward and ripped out his throat in one clean swipe. Right away he wrapped both his hands around his neck and he began to choke on his own blood.

Bree casually stepped over him and continued on her mission to find Malaki. Deep deep down inside, it bothered her that she was able to kill those two men without batting an eye over it. She felt completely numb and that she could care less about their insignificant lives after everything they let happen to her but yet she has enough of her conscience to know there was something wrong with that. 

When Bree finally found the lab where Malaki was at, she walked in and he had his back turned to her, while hunched over a microscope. Bree took this opportunity before being noticed to scan her surroundings in the room. It definitely looked like a lab of some sort, Malaki was across the room and they were separated by two large tables that were covered in beakers, chemicals, and test tubes. 

A smile slowly spread to Bree's face as an idea popped into her head. Walking over to one of the tables, she grabbed a flask of a greenish blue liquid and slammed in on the ground, causing it to shatter as glass and its contents flew every where. Malaki jumped and spun around to see a very angry bree. "How did you get free?" he growled in a panic as his eyes darkened around the room looking for an escape. 

"My my my, the tables have turned, haven't they?" Bree said cheerfully, grabbing another flask and smashing it as well. "You've fucked with the wrong wolf...Love" She continued to taunt. "What are you doing? Stop that!" Malaki yelled as he dodged the glasses that Bree was now aiming toward his feet. "WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO ME YOU PRICK!" Bree screamed at him in fury. She ran up on him and threw him into the counter behind him and as he stumbled to gain his balance, she grabbed him and threw him into it again. "Now now love, let's not be hasty...Ow...Everything I did was for the good of mankind...Don't you want to be apart of the future?"

Bree punched him in the face and then kicked him when he hit the ground. "The fact that I am going to enjoy this as much as am just proves how much you fucked me up for this bullshit cure that probably doesn't exist!" Bree cried as she punched him again. She grabbed another beaker off the table and threw at him, shattering it on the floor next to him. "Wait...You don't want to do that love...I'm the only one who can help you now...The...The last subject died because we didn't intervene...We know more this round, we can make it so you don't get sick!" Malaki tried to convince her while dodging her blows. 

"BULL SHIT!" Bree yelled. There was now glass and liquids all over the floor and Malaki was covered in it. "Come on you know it's true! Look at you! Your hands are shaking...You have lost color...I can see the sweat forming on your brow...The sickness has already begun to take over...You need me to stay alive!" 

Bree dabbed her forehead with the back of her hand and she could feel it was wet. Growling, she bent down and punched Malaki in the face again. She then stood over him, panting as she tried to calm herself down, repeating his words in her head as they locked eyes with each other. With a traumatic look, she slowly nodded her head and took a few steps back, backing off of Malaki. He crawled away to put some distance between them, never breaking eye contact. 

Bree continued to stare at him as she internally battled with herself over what to do next. Finally her expression dulled and she said "After everything you have done...and for all you plan to do...My fate is worth all the pleasure I will get in seeing...You...Burn".

Bree reached on the table and grabbed a blow torch and turned it on. Malaki's eyes widened once he realized what she was about to do and he hollered "NOOOOO" As he tried to get up and run but he was too late. Bree dropped the torch and immediately a blanket of flames swooped across the room, lighting up all the chemicals, including the ones the Malaki was drenched in. His screams vibrated off the walls and Bree couldn't help but smirk and wave good bye to him as he burned. 

Bree casually walked out of the lab and shut the door, flipping the switch, sealing him in to his demise. Bree continued to walk down the hall, deciding that it was now time to leave to find Negan. Just then a rush of people came in through the doors and flew past her in the direction of the fire. She was so caught up in her own vengeance that her brain didn't register the fire alarms going off. Not one person paid her any mind so she continued to walk away until she heard an explosion. 

Flinching from the noise, it was like the explosion woke up something in her that told her 'The building is on fire, get the hell out of there!'

Her adrenaline kicked into full gear as she sprinted down the halls and down the 4 flights of stairs to the exit. She could smell smoke all around her and with her heightened sense of smell it was nauseating her, making it hard to run. She heard another explosion and that gave her enough gusto to burst through the entrance doors and run as far away from the hospital as she could. 

Once Bree felt that she was a safe distance away, she collapsed on the ground, panting from exhaustion. The pavement felt cool and refreshing against her hot sticky skin as she laid against it, trying to catch her breath. It was night time and the orange embers from the fire lit up the sky, giving her the only source of light that was around. She could hear the distant scuffles of the dead around her, being attracted by the fire. She couldn't stay here much longer. 

She laid on the ground and closed her eyes for a moment as a way to ground herself from everything that happened and to try to let her brain re-group. When she opened them, there was a dark silhouette looming over her, causing her to roll over and jump to her feet. With the way the fire cast it's shadow, she couldn't make out who it was and she let out a fierce animal like growl and jumped at them, causing them to stumble backwards. 

"Whoa whoa whoa!" a man's deep voice called out as he wrestled with her. Bree growled again and took another swipe, which the man just barely dodged. He dove at her and wrapped his arms around her, trying to stop her from attacking him. "BREE! It's me God dammit! Now knock that shit off!" Negan roared as she fought against him. 

Once his voice registered in her head, Bree instantly stopped what she was doing. The flames were growing bigger and now Bree could make out the shape of Negan's face as he looked at her with caution. Bree's body slackened in Negan's grasp and as they looked at each other, every single emotion that had been suppressed finally let itself out. Bree started to cry and felt very over-whelmed as she was tackled by her feelings. Her nightmare was finally over. 

She trembled as Negan began to soothe her. Holding her in his arms, he cradled her to the ground, feeling her body go limp. "It's OK Bree...It's all over...We have to get going, this place is going to be swarmed in a matter of minutes, every dead head within a 10 mile radius must have heard that".

Bree nodded and attempted to stand but her knees buckled beneath her. "Negan...I...I don't feel so good" Bree said grimly. Before Negan could try to usher her back to her feet, she collapsed on all fours and vomited on the pavement. "Shit!" Negan exclaimed as he jumped to hold her hair back. Once the contents of her stomach were completely emptied, Negan again tried to help her to her feet. Gripping onto him for support, he led her over to a few trucks that were parked near by. She looked around to see a few familiar faces. 

"Where is everyone else?" Bree asked as she looked around. They originally came with about twenty or so Saviors and now she was seeing about half as many. A few of the Saviors that were present sadly adverted their gazes and Bree got the hint that they didn't make it. She glanced up at Negan who wore an expression of stone as he helped her into one of the trucks. She recognized a few of the vehicles that were present on the day that they were taken. 

Negan shut her door and then climbed into the drivers seat and pulled out a map. "So according to this thing, we are about two hours away from The Sanctuary and about four from Alexandria, I figured if we head west we could get there by sun up and maybe even find a place to re-fuel on the way" Negan explained the agenda. "I don't know about you, but I wanna get as far the fuck away from here as we can."

Bree closed her eyes and rested her head against the window. She enjoyed the cool feeling against her skin and it brought her some relief to how awful she felt. "Hey...You OK over there?" Negan asked as he eyes her. "You don't look so good" He said as he put a hand up to her forehead. Bree wasn't sure why his hands felt so cold. "Shit...You're burning up doll...We better get a move on and get you back to Doctor Carson" He said as he turned the key in the ignition of the truck. He sped off away from the hospital, leading they way as the rest of the vehicles followed him. 

"Negan" Bree moaned. She was feeling sicker and sicker by the minute. "What's up?" He asked not taking his eyes off the road. 

"I'm dying" was the last thing she said before she lost consciousnesses.


	25. Goodbye Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is kinda a random and very off topic question but by any chance does anyone have a good recommendation on a good Vampire Diaries fic? I just started watching that show and it turned out to be a lot better than I thought it was going to be and I'm hooked! I am head over heels with Damon and would LOVE to find one with him as the focus. Thanks in advance! 
> 
> Hope you like this chapter for whomever may still be reading, fair warning, it's a tear jerker! Please leave me some comments on how you liked it and where you predict the story will go!

Bree abruptly awoke to the feeling of ice cold water being poured all over her. She jolted awake with a gasp and her eyes darted back and forth, taking in her surroundings. They must of pulled off the road because Bree was on the ground in the woods next to a stream. Negan was standing over her with a large cup and he splashed her again. "AH!" Bree shrieked from the shock of the cold against her hot skin. "Just lay back doll, we gotta cool you down, your burning up really bad, I don't want you to start seizing up on me" Negan said as he kept pouring water on her. 

It was the middle of fall and temperatures were already starting to drop so the water felt like ice and she was still only wearing the hospital down. Even though the water that was hitting her was cold, she could feel that her internal body temp was still cooking. There were a few Saviors that lingered around standing watch and when she came to, they looked genuinely concerned for her. 

As Negan continued to pour water on her, Bree began to twist and turn in agony. Flipping over, she began to vomit again but all that came up this time was stomach bile. Negan held her up and patted her back, telling her that she was going to be OK. "Once we get back, Carson will take a look at you, I'm sure he has got some kind of antibiotic that will help kick this."

Bree held herself up on shaky arms and wiped her mouth. She rolled over, exhausted from the whole ordeal and began to shake her head. "No...I need to go back to Alexandria...I have to be with my family" She said, out of breath. "What are you stupid? There is no doctor at fucking Alexandria, not a good one anyway, you need to be at the Sanctuary, and besides, it's closer."

Bree slowly sat up and looked Negan in the eyes. Putting her hand on his forearm, she said "Negan...Malaki said it himself...I'm dying...The last wolf they used before me died because they didn't know what to do to keep him alive...I can feel it...I NEED to be with my family...I have to be with Nick or else he may never get closure...Please...I know it's far but please take me back to Alexandria."

Negan stared at her for a long while and Bree found his face hard to read. It was a mix of anger, shock, and sadness all rolled into one which weren't common emotions for him. "No...No Bree, You are not going to die...You are going to be fine, you are way stronger than anyone else I've seen and I know you can kick this." 

The moment Negan said those words, he felt a pull on his heart that he hadn't felt for quite some time. With those words came an emotion that he had suppressed ever since the world fell. Though he would never admit it, those were the same exact words he told Lucille when she was losing her battle with cancer, only this time, he had more faith in them. 

Bree weakly smiled and said "Negan...He injected dead blood into my heart...I have the virus. I am showing the same symptoms of someone who has been bit. Sure as a were, we can take bites and exterior contact from them but this was a direct infection. We are not able to withstand that kind of an exposure...No one can..."

Bree didn't expect Negan to react this way. He was always so tough and unscathed by the world and there was no conflict or problem that his savvy words couldn't fix but for the first time, he was speechless. No rude comment, no jibe at her expense, he just stared at her as her words sunk in. "OK" He finally said, nodding his head. "I'll take you back to Alexandria...I'll take you back to your family". 

Bree looked relieved and told him thank you before he helped her up. The cold water that she was drenched in did actually help her feel better and more alert. Negan could feel her skin was cool now as he scooped her up in his arms, leading everyone back to the vehicles. He gently placed her in the back seat this time so she could lay down and then he went to go tell everyone else what the new plan was. His first stop on the way he announced, was to go back to the original crash site and grab Lucille. 

Even though the rest of the gang seemed skeptical over going to Alexandria over the Sanctuary, they agreed to follow along anyway. By the time Negan got back to the car Bree was already fast asleep. Negan looked at her as if he were looking at her for the last time and then he snapped himself of of it and started up the truck. The whole way there, Negan kept stealing glances in his rear-view mirror to check on Bree. 

They were driving for about two hours when Bree began to stir awake. "Hey doll...How you feeling back there?" He asked, looking back at her. Bree stretched and groaned. "I feel like shit" She said. "How much longer do we have?"

"Bout two hours" He said, unsure of what else to say. "It would probably be best if you drop me off before we get there...I don't think it would be a good idea if you came in with me after everything...Wouldn't want Alexandria to think you've gone soft by bringing me back" 

"What are you gonna tell em?" Negan asked, genuinely curious. "I don't know yet...Probably that I got away...My family will know the truth...No one else...People get sick all the time so I don't think my sudden illness will be all that much of a surprise"

"You gonna be strong enough to find your way back?"

"After you drop me off, I'll shift. It will give me more stamina and I'll be able to cover more ground that way" Bree replied, laying her head back down. "You seem to have got it all figured out then...Good luck with that" Negan said dully. Bree couldn't tell by his tone if he was being sarcastic or serious. They stayed quiet for the rest of the way, unsure of what to say to each other. 

At last they were about half a mile out from Alexandria when Negan slowed the truck down to a stop. He had already retrieved Lucille from where they were originally taken and he left her in the front seat of the truck as he got out. He opened Bree's door and she swung her legs out and attempted to stand up. Negan grabbed her by the elbow to steady her and asked her if she was good. Bree gave him a nod and Negan instructed the rest of the Saviors to stay back and keep watch while he walked Bree to a clearing in the forest. 

"Well...I guess this is it then...Good luck on getting back to your family...I guess this is the part where I'm suppose to say it was nice knowing ya" Negan said. Bree gave him a half smile and said "Yeah...It was nice knowing you...Thanks for taking in a street mutt and giving me a chance...Even after when you realized what I was."

Negan let out a weak chuckle. "Well I gotta admit, you kinda weirded me out for the first few weeks, but what can I say...you grew on me kid, thanks for having my back as much as you did, even though half the time I didn't deserve it." 

"I just have one favor to ask of you...Can you please just give Alexandria a break for a few weeks...Just so my family can deal with...Well you know...Before they have to worry with what to do about you." Bree asked sincerely. It all felt so strange talking like this. Negan straightened up his posture and after a moment he sighed and agreed to her last request. 

Bree nodded her head and smiled. She then stuck her hand out for him to shake and said as cheerfully as she could "Till the next life then?" Negan stared at her hand in apprehension, with the realization that this was going to be their last moment fully sinking in. He let out another sigh and said "Till the next life" and he firmly shook her hand. The moment he touched her, tears began to stream down Bree's face. 

She hadn't truly accepted the fact that she was dying but at that moment, she was accepting that this was the last time she was going to see Negan ever again, and she was surprised at how sad that made her. 

Finally she figured to hell with it, she dropped Negans hand and threw herself into his arms, placing a long meaningful kiss right on his lips. Negan tensed up from the shock of what she had just done and he slowly wrapped his arms around her tighter, deepening the kiss. For that moment, Bree was able to re-direct her focus from all the terrible things that had happened and all the things that were going to happen. Kissing Negan in that moment felt uplifting and right and it gave her strength for everything she was about to face. 

Negan slowly relaxed and held on to Bree, stalling out their last moment and not wanting to let go. She awakened a feeling in him that he didn't know he had the ability to feel anymore. The feeling to love and be loved unconditionally.

Bree pulled her lips from his and he dipped his forehead in to touch hers. She reached up with a shaky thumb and rubbed the side of his cheek while he cuffed her chin in his hand, not wanting to let go.

She lifted herself up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear "Goodbye" and slowly pulled herself away from him. Negan didn't realize that he had a hold of her hand until she started to back up while he was still gripping it. He held onto her as long as he could until she was too far away and he had to let go. 

Negan stared at her intensely as she walked away, feeling overwhelmed by these dug up emotions and not sure of what to make of them. Bree stopped to yank off her hospital gown, the moonlight reflecting and lighting up her pale skin and she glanced up in the sky and closed her eyes, focusing on her change. 

Negan was looking at her in a different way then he ever had and in that moment she had never looked more beautiful to him. For the first time he wasn't looking and thinking how he could use her to his advantage. He was looking at her as a person that he respected and honestly cared about and he thought about how much time he had wasted by using her for his own personal gain and he wished that he could have gotten to know her better. 

Bree went down on all fours as she went through the familiar sensations of the change and once she was a full wolf, she shook out her coat and took off in a slow trot past the clearing in the woods. Negan let out a deep breath and began to walk away. He was surprised in himself at how much this was affecting him and he turned around just to get one last look at her. Bree did the same and as they looked back on each other, they gave one silent, final farewell to what was and what could have been. 

 

(I am unsure of how to do this on here but I would say that this would be the end of book one)


	26. Without You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gonna do a bit of a fast forward and start off at the middle of episode 8 season 8 where Negan and Carl have their last stand-off before he kicks the bucket. Pretty much everything continued canon in the all out war series since Negan left off with Bree.

"BOMBS AWAY!" Negan roared right before the Saviors aimed their rocket launchers in the air, sending the front of Alexandria up in flames. He was pissed! As much as he didn't want to do that in front of Carl, he was put to the test and forced to act upon it. There was no way in hell he was going to go down looking soft after everything that had let up to this moment. It was time for Alexandria to pay their dues for everything they had done to cross him, and there was nothing that could stop him. 

Carl vanished and Negan's men continued to light the place up from the outside, sending mushroom clouds of destruction in the air. They rammed through the gates and when everyone began to enter in Negan got out and walked around. He had a swagger in his step as he admired all the destruction he created. It would take years for Alexandria to rebuild and he felt very happy with himself that he was the cause of their demise. As he looked around the blazing smokey atmosphere he couldn't help but smile. He had came out on top. 

"Well shit...We could'a used those...Solar panels" He said as he walked around, basking in all the destruction. "The convoy...They got away huh...All of 'em?" He asked no one particular, shaking his head and then began to bark out orders. "The kid's still gotta be here, I think he wanted to go down with the ship...Search the place...Find him, tie him up...Do NOT kill him, blow up every other house".

Even though Carl was the spawn of his worst enemy, he was still just a kid and he didn't want to see him get hurt. Negan may have been fucked up in more ways than one but violence against women and children was a line he would never cross. Plus, he liked Carl and admired his fearless attitude and felt that he could mentor him and then rub it in Rick's face.

As Negan walked off, he told the Saviors that he was going to Ricks and to send him his way if they find him. He walked down one of the paths, happily twirling Lucille and the rest of the Saviors poured in Alexandria, sending off more explosives and tearing the place up in search of any Alexandrian who was left behind. 

Negan's two toned whistle rang through out the streets as he walked to Ricks house. He was happy to see that it wasn't blown up and he figured it would be an ironic place for him to wait as the Saviors carried out his orders, hoping that they would turn up with either Rick or Carl. 

He played Carl's words in his head from the little speech he gave him and he couldn't help but wonder what Carl meant when he said he wanted to die. The fact that any person had made it this far was a gift in itself and he didn't understand what would make a kid like him who still had his whole life ahead of him want to say such things. Part of the reason why he wanted his men to find him was so that he could sit him down and try to understand why Carl was so eager to sacrifice himself and even more so, what kind of piece of shit father he had to let him do it. 

Negan passed the church on his way to Rick's place. His boots came to a halt on the pavement and as he stared at it, a realization his him like a ton of bricks. His jolly mood quickly turned dark as he remembered a very special girl that had came into his life and left abruptly. Bree. 

It had been quite a few months since their last encounter when she told him she was dying and he had used his fury against Alexandria to distract himself from thinking about her. He honored his promise to her and gave Alexandria a good three weeks before he went back to harassing them. Ever since then he would always keep an eye out for Bree or one of her family members but he never caught sight of any of them. 

Truth be told, he missed her dearly and her absence in his life caused a familiar void that he hadn't felt since his late wife Lucille. His agenda with Alexandria had helped him suppress his emotions, but standing in front of this church where she was probably put to rest brought a sadness out of him. 

He took a deep breath and sighed. Maybe now was a good time for him to pay his respects and maybe even give him some closure. 

Negan made his way over to the back of the church where the make-shift cemetery of Alexandria was. There were several un-marked graves and he had no clue how to tell which one was Bree's. He stood in front of the one that looked the freshest and stared down at it in mourning.

Dropping down to one knee and laying Lucille on the ground, he kissed the tips on his fingers and patted the top of the grave. "Oh Bree...I can't help but wonder if all of this still would have played out the way it did if you never left...Knowing you and that damn persistent attitude that grew on me....You probably would have found a way to talk everyone out of it..." 

He sat there for a few more moments in silence, pondering on what could have been had she not kicked the bucket so soon. One thing was for damn sure, he would never meet another girl quite like her again. He thought about how things were before he found out her story and when he thought she was just a wolf.

Even then, he could tell there was something different about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on. She would look at him like she could truly understand him...Hell there were even a few times that he swore he saw her roll her eyes, she definitely was something else. How he wished things panned out differently. This was the first time since he last Saw Bree that he was giving himself a chance to feel, and it honestly sucked. He didn't think he was going to miss her this bad. 

As Negan continued to silently mourn over Bree, a figure was emerging behind him from the side of one of the houses. As they crept towards him in stealth, they stopped and stared, watching him in intrigment. All the sudden, Negan jolted upright to the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat. He grabbed Lucille and whipped around in a defensive stance, ready to fight who ever was there. His posture slackened when he saw that it was only Jeremy.

They both stared at each other through vexed eyes for a moment and when Negan saw that Jeremy was not going to attack, he relaxed a bit and threw on a cocky smile. "You must be crazy or stupid...You do know that I have the place crawling with my guys...Might not have been the brightest idea to stick around" Negan lazily said. Jeremy let out a small chuckle and said "I find it very entertaining that you think I'M the one who is out of sorts when you are standing in front of me, knowing what I am with nothing but a glorified baseball bat to protect yourself".

Negan let out a laugh. "You know you would be surprised just how nasty of a bite my Lucille has, she's gotten me out of more pickles then I can count on both hands". Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Of course...It has a name".

"Hey...You watch your mouth...Tell me, exactly what is stopping me from signaling my guys over to take your ass out" Negan snapped. "Not a thing...So why haven't you?" Jeremy replied casually.

Jeremy had him there. He stared at him with calm blue eyes, waiting for an answer. Negan smirked and loosened up his stance, rocking back on his heels. "I gotta admit, you have some set of kahunas on you Jere...Must be why they call you Alpha".

"Well, I can't say I earned the title by taking the cowards way out" he said with a light laugh. Negan looked him up and down and let out a sigh. "So...What made you stay behind?" He finally asked. "I wanted to make sure everyone got out OK...Our family has decided that after tonight we are going to part from Rick's group and go our separate ways...We no longer want to be associated with any of the violence that has erupted between you two...It is not our fight and we want to keep things that way" Jeremy stated. "Hm...Well that's mighty big of you" Negan said with a frown. 

"We never wanted to go to war with you. I tried many times to talk Rick out of it, knowing it would end badly but he wouldn't listen...Despite what you may think, I am not your enemy nor do I wish to be" Jeremy explained. 

Negan nodded his head and drifted his glance back to the grave. "Let me ask you something.." He continued to stare, not turning back to face Jeremy. "Did she suffer for long?"

Jeremy's eyebrows crinkled in slight confusion at first, not understanding his question and then his face slackened in sadness when he realized just who Negan was talking about. "No...She wasn't sick for much longer after she came back to us."

Negan let out a shaky breath as he felt relief wash over him, knowing that she wasn't in pain for long after she left him. "The worst part of her sickness came after she got better."

Now it was Negan's turn to be confused. His eye brows knitted together, not sure if he heard Jeremy right. He slowly turned around to face him and said "Wait...What?"

Jeremy stiffened his upper lip and and looked at Negan with truthful eyes. "What the fuck do you mean...She got better?" Negan asked again for clarification. 

Jeremy looked at the ground and then back at him and said "Negan...Bree is alive." 

 

(((A bit of a short one I know but I didn't want to stall anymore. I am considering this to be the second part of my series and I we can expect this part to be full of flash backs and one more major time jump. I am also planning for there to be a major change in Bree's personality so I hope no one is offended or bothered by that. As always, feel free to leave me some love (or hate lol) in the comment box and let me know what you think...Good or bad, I love to read your comments!)))


	27. Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I think this is the longest chapter I have ever written in my life! There was a lot of information that I wanted to get out here and I thought of breaking it up into two chapters but I couldn't find a decent cut off spot so I decided to go big or go home lol. As usual I hope you guys like it, I have been thinking about the plot of this story for a while and I literally spent all day writing it so if you could leave me a comment on what you think that would be amazing!

"Where is she?" Negan said through gritted teeth. He couldn't believe that she was alive this whole time and he was just finding out about it now. "I wish I knew...She left Alexandria a few weeks after she got better...She ran away" Jeremy replied. Negan's faced looked very concentrated on what Jeremy was telling him. "Well?...You gonna tell me what happened?" Negan pressed. 

Jeremy took a deep breath and sighed. "I wish I knew...The virus turned her into something I have never seen before...She is not the same person you and I remember...She turned on us" Jeremy explained. "What do you mean she...turned?" Negan asked, wishing Jeremy would get to the bottom of this soon. Jeremy swallowed hard. "You might want to brace yourself for what I am about to tell you...It's not a pretty story" Jeremy warned Negan. "Well....Get on with it...I don't exactly have all the time in the world here" Negan ordered, looking around to see if anyone was coming. Jeremy nodded his head and then began to explain what happened to Bree. 

*****FLASHBACK*****

"Fuck you! Get out of my face and leave me the hell alone!" Bree screamed at Clay as he tried to get her talk to Jeremy. "You are not leaving this room until you tell us what happened! We are on your side Bree, just explain the story to us and we will hear you out, we just want to know why you attacked Rosita" Jeremy said as calmly as he could. Bree growled and dramatically looked away, making it clear that she didn't want to talk. 

When Bree returned to Alexandria, Jeremy and her pack did everything they could to nurse her back to health. It was a scary few days and they all really thought that they were going to lose her. Nick sat by her side every moment during the day at her beck and call and the doctor at Alexandria visited daily to check her vitals and make sure they didn't spike. Once she started to turn around and get better, Jeremy noticed that her personality started to change. 

She became very quiet and distant and didn't want to be bothered by no one. Her and Nick would get into fights like he had never seen before over silly things that shouldn't have even mattered. Usually Jeremy left his children alone when they had disputes with their spouses but with how aggressive Bree would get, he couldn't help but stick around, afraid that things were going to escalate and she would try to physically hurt Nick. 

It was hard to watch because everyone knew that Bree wasn't like this, she was one of the sweeter and more even tempered pack members and Jeremy didn't know what to do to get that girl back. In the beginning when he would try to have talks with her about her behavior and try to see what he could do to make the situation better, she would cry to him and tell him that she didn't know what came over her and that her mood swings were getting harder and harder for her to get a grip on. Now when he would try to talk to her, she was either very dismissive and would shut down and not say anything or it would end in a one way screaming match with something getting broken. 

Her temper turned into one that he had not seen before. Even Elena who was her best friend and the person who she used to turn to before anyone else, had enough of her attitude. She was rude, obnoxious and didn't want to hear what anyone had to say, especially if it was something authoritative. 

One day, Bree got into a really bad fight with Nick, bad enough for Jeremy to come storming in at Nick's defense. Bree was yelling and screaming awful and hurtful things at Nick and grabbing whatever she could get her hands on to throw at him. Nick didn't know what to do so he tried to restrain her and call for Jeremy but she got away from him and things turned physical.

Nick would never hurt Bree and knowing that, she used that to her advantage and tried to beat him up. When Jeremy finally came in and broke them up, He pulled Bree off of Nick and pinned her to the ground. She fought against him for a while to get back at Nick but Jeremy was stronger and he wasn't letting her go. Bree eventually wore herself out and when Jeremy felt her body slacken in submission, he helped her up to her feet and kept his arms around her. 

"What is going on!?" Jeremy demanded as he angrily looked back and forth between her and Nick, panting heavily from fighting to keep Bree off Nick. Nick had a bloody nose, bruises, and scratches up and down his arms. This was by far the worst fight they have ever had. Nick hesitated and switched glances between her and Jeremy. Bree was giving him a nasty look and Nick decided he had to bring Bree's behavior to his attention. 

"We went out for a run earlier and we shifted. I was hoping that maybe a run would help clear her head from everything and maybe she would open up to me like she used to. We were about half an hour into our run when she split from me. It took me a while to find her and when I did...She was..." Nick started to explain but found it hard to finish his sentence. 

"Nick...What happened?" Jeremy said with a firm voice, wanting him to get to the bottom of it. Nick's eyes darted back and forth from Bree to Jeremy again and he said "She was eating the dead...When we came back I was just trying to get her to talk to me and tell me why she did that and she went crazy and tried to hurt me". 

Jeremy's eyes widened and he looked down at Bree like he had no clue who she was. "You asshole! I'm not fucking crazy!" Bree screeched as she began to fight against Jeremy to get at Nick. "He has to know Bree, that is not normal, you need help, you haven't been the same since you have gotten back, you have to notice this!" Nick tried to reason with her. Bree continued to fight her way out of Jeremy's grip but the more she fought, the more she lost her grip on her emotions. 

She gave one last tug and then she slowly crumbled to her knees and began to cry. This was the first time since she started having these out bursts that she has shown any other emotion that wasn't based off anger and Jeremy and Nick exchanged looks. Bree turned into Jeremy and began to sob uncontrollably and Jeremy slowly put his arms around her. 

"Nick...Go get cleaned up and give us a moment, I think it would be better if you weren't here right now" Jeremy said seriously. Nick hesitated for a moment. He really wanted to be the one to comfort Bree but he knew that Jeremy was right and it was probably best that he leave the room. Jeremy was her alpha and he was the best one for her to talk to right now, especially if she was still angry at him. This might be the only chance for them to get through to her. 

Nick did as he was told and left the house and Jeremy patted Bree's back and shushed her tears, telling her everything was going to be OK. It brought him back to when he would do this to her when she first came to them and she would have nightmares about the things that Malcolm did to her. If felt good to be able to be the one to calm her again and he was happy she was finally letting him in. 

"Oh Jeremy...I'm so sorry...I know I have been awful lately. I don't know why...I can't explain it...I just get so angry and I can't control it" She explained for the first time. Jeremy rubbed his thumb against her head as he held her to him and continued to shush her. "Bree, we all still love you very much, we know something is wrong and we just want to help you through it as a family, we are here for you, you just have to let us in and talk about it when things are bothering you, we know this isn't your usual behavior" He coaxed her. 

"I..I don't know what's happening to me...I don't feel the same anymore" She cried and another series of sobs took over her. Jeremy kissed the top of her head and rested his cheek against her forehead and let her cry out her feelings. This was the first time she had let anyone touch her in weeks and it felt good to him as her alpha to be able to comfort her again.

"I'm sorry I hurt Nick...I really am...I was just so embarrassed, I didn't what him to tell anyone what I did on the run. I didn't have any control over my wolf and I don't know why she would want to do something like that" Bree explained. 

"I don't know either...I know that sometimes the wolf can get the upper hand and you can lose your grasp on reality in a change, I want you to know that I don't judge or blame you for what she did but I am concerned, we all are".

Bree continued to cry in his arms in frustration with herself for being so nasty to everyone. It was the first time that she was able to feel bad about it and it was hitting her in full force. Finally she pulled herself up from Jeremy's arms and rubbed her eyes. 

"Nick...Oh my God Nick, I have to see him! I have to apologize for hurting him! I feel so bad, he must be furious with me!" She said, climbing back up to her feet.

"Go find him...I think if you talk to him the same way you just talked to me he will understand. He still loves you very much no matter what and he just wants you to be OK, he's been really worried about you, we all have been".

"I'm sorry, I gotta go find him, I'll be back!" Bree said before she rushed out the door. As she was looking for him, she practiced in her head the words that she was going to say to him. Despite what Jeremy said, she knew that he would still be irked with her, being this was the first time that she had ever laid her hands on him. She really wanted to make things right and try to go back to being the person who she used to be. 

Bree searched all throughout Alexandria for Nick, and when she finally laid eyes on him she stopped dead in her tracks. Her breath caught in her throat and she watched him through wide eyes. He was on the front steps of Rosita's house. He was sitting down while Rosita was tending to the wounds that she had just given him. They were smiling and laughing and she felt the jealousy begin to bubble in her stomach at how happy they looked. 

Rosita was right in front of him, standing between his legs and dabbing his nose with a cloth while she had a hand on his face. The way Nick was looking at her made her want to gouge out her eyes and awful thoughts began emerging in Bree's mind. All the thoughts and desires of her wanting to go back to being the person who she used to be went out the window.

Rosita pulled the cloth away and stared down at Nick. It looked like they were both having a moment and it was like watching a train wreck for Bree. As awful as it was, she couldn't seem to advert her eyes. Rostia slowly bent down to Nick's level and placed a loving kiss upon his cheek. She pulled away and they both stared at each other. Even from where Bree was standing, she could see the emotions in their eyes and the next thing she knew, Nick closed the space between them and kissed Rosita on the lips.

Bree felt her heart shatter. She started to breathe heavier and heavier as she felt all her anger and rage consume her again. Her fists were clenching so hard that she felt the stickiness of her blood ooze out in her palms from the sharpness of her shifting finger tips. She began to growl and march right up to them. Her steps quickened and she started to run into them full force and tackled Rosita to the ground. 

Bree hit her like a freight train and collided into her with such force, she completely knocked the wind out of her. The moment Rosita hit the ground, Bree was on top of her, scratching, punching, and pulling at her. She was so strong, Rosita tried to fight back but there was no way she could get the upper hand. Nick tried to pull her off and get between them, catching a few blows himself. 

Bree was beyond seeing red and she kept hearing a whisper in her head that said 'Kill' and that was what she intended to do. She beat Rosita until she was unconscious and even then she wouldn't stop. She continued to rip into her with her wolf claws until she was a bloody mess. 

All the sudden she was being pulled away by two pairs of strong arms and was being held back as she twisted and pulled to try to get out of their grasp. Almost everyone in Alexandria was out now and were gathering around from all the excitement, Rick and Elena were immediately at Rosita's side, pulling her up and out of danger. 

"BREE STOP!" Clay yelled at her as she fought against them. Bree continued to snarl and growl as she fought against them with more force when she saw that Rosita was being carried away from her. She wanted to eat her face off in the worst way. She was in a feral state and Nick and Clay didn't know what to do to snap her out of it. "We gotta get her back to the house...Back to Jeremy" Nick said as he struggled to keep a grip on her. 

Bree started trying to bite their hands and Clay was beginning to lose it. Finally he let go of her, grabbed her by the shirt and punched her in the face, not knowing what else to do. "BREE! KNOCK IT OFF! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOUR SHIT!" Clay growled, asserting his dominance over her. Very rarely did Clay ever lose his temper, as stern as he was, but when he did, he was scary. 

That punched snapped Bree out of her fury and she looked at Clay, in shock from what he had done. Deep down she knew she deserved it. Before she could start to fight them again, the boys both grabbed her under her arms and dragged her back to their house while Elena stayed back to help with Rosita. 

***********************************************************************

Bree sat upright on her bed the best she could as she listened to the pack in the next room discuss her fate. When the boys brought her back to the house, she got into it with them again and mouthed off to Clay and Jeremy. Thing's escalated to the point where she almost attacked Jeremy and that was when they decided that she was becoming a danger to herself and they handcuffed her to her headboard in her room, hoping that would knock her down a few pegs. 

"I don't know what came over her...Rosita and I were just talking and she snapped" Nick explained, obviously lying about what he was really doing with Rosita. Bree just stared blankly across the room, quiet and emotionless. The moment she saw them kissing, she felt all her humanity leave her and now she felt absolutely nothing. She didn't even care that Nick was lying, she didn't care about anything anymore. 

"Jeremy, she has been getting worse and worse...We can't control her anymore. She's becoming dangerous" Clay explained. "She IS dangerous" Nick added. Jeremy sighed and shook his head. He was very disappointed because earlier he really thought he had gotten through to her. Now he was finally at a loss of what to do. 

Elena opened up the door and the boys stood up in her presence, eagerly waiting to hear what she had to say. Her eyes transferred to each pack member and she sighed. "Rosita is in bad shape...She is still unconscious and they have her resting at her house with Olivia watching over her...Rick is outside, he wants to talk to you" She reported grimly. Jeremy nodded his head and said "Send him in". 

Elena opened the door and invited Rick inside. It was just him, and as he entered in the house, he sadly looked around at each of them. "Hey Jeremy" He said in a low voice. "I know that you need to have a conversation with us about Bree" Jeremy said, cutting to the chase. "Yea...It's not good Jere...She really hurt Rosita, she almost killed her. Everyone is furious from what she did, it's pretty serious...They all want her hanged" Rick began. 

Everyone tensed up from Ricks words and the air in the room became heavy. "I understand. Perhaps there is some sort of middle ground we can come to that doesn't result in more violence" Jeremy pleaded calmly. "Well that's what I came here to talk to you about, you and I have always been very understanding of each other, aside from Bree, you and your family are respected around here and you do a lot for our community so I didn't see why we couldn't calmly talk this out like men. I know this is all going to be hard on you guys but we HAVE to do something about her. I no longer feel that my people are safe in her presence and I'm sorry but I no longer feel that any of you can control her".

Jeremy adverted his gaze. He didn't want to believe his words but they were true. Bree had grown unpredictable and unstable. The little girl that he loved and cherished was gone. Jeremy stood up and gazed out the window with his back turned as his eyes started to water. "I know how all of you feel about her so I have a proposition for you" Rick said. 

"Go on" Jeremy responded as he brought a hand up to wipe his eyes.

"Morgan built a cell down in one of the basements of the houses. It's only about two blocks from here and it's very secure...Now I know that it is not an ideal scenario but I think that if we lock her up down there, everyone will win. She won't be able to hurt anyone else and she will get to live out the rest of her days there with visitations. I don't mean to threaten you but with where we stand right now, I'm only giving you three options. It's either death, the cell, or banishment. I will leave you guys to talk about it but I am going to need an answer by tonight".

Once Rick left, Jeremy, Elena, Clay, and Nick discussed their options. Death was out of the question and they voiced concerns of her leaving Alexandria altogether and going rouge. They came to the conclusion that the cell was their best option at this point and as much as they didn't want to do it they HAD to. They couldn't risk anyone else in Alexandria getting hurt and she was no longer in their control. She was way too aggressive and they discussed that they could do therapy sessions with her while she was in the cell while had no choice but to sit there and listen to them. 

"It's settled then, Elena...I want you to go find Rick and tell him that we have come to a decision. Tell him to get the cell ready and we will be there in a bit with Bree" Jeremy directed. When Elena left Jeremy went to go break the news to Bree. He and the pack were so torn up over this decision, it felt like they were losing a family member. He felt like he had failed Bree and it was breaking his heart. Despite her recent issues, he still loved her very much and just wanted what was best for her. It saddened him that this was it. 

He paused in front of her door for a moment and took a deep breath, gathering up the courage to give her her fate. When he opened the door, his face dropped. Bree was no where to be found and the window next to her bed was opened. He stepped in and walked over to her bed, examining the handcuffs. They were covered in blood from her forcing her hands out of them. "Ohh no" Jeremy breathed out before he went to go bring this to Nick and Clay's attention. They had to find her and they had to find her fast!

************************************

Bree stood in front of Rosita's house and blankly stared. She heard almost every word that Rick and her family said and she decided to take her fate into her own hands. All her humanity was gone and she was nothing but an empty shell inside with distant emotions of hate and despair circling around her. She calmly made her way up the steps to Rosita's house. She went to open the door but it was locked. Firmly grabbing the door knob in her hand, she jerked it back and forth, ripping it from the wood and she let herself in. 

As she made her way through the living room, Olivia jumped up and was the first to greet her. Her eyes were as big as saucers and Bree could smell her fear. "Bree...You shouldn't be here...If you don't leave now I'm going to have to tell Rick" She said, hoping that would be enough to scare Bree off. It wasn't.

Bree stared at her with no emotion in her eyes and she completely ignored Olivia and continued to walk past her. Olivia bravely blocked her path, hoping to get through to the girl who was once her friend. "Bree, please! Leave now and I promise, I won't tell anyone you showed up".

Bree growled and roughly grabbed Olivia by her shoulders and threw her into the coffee table like she was nothing. The glass shattered and poor Olivia was knocked out cold.

She casually walked up the steps and found herself standing in front of Rosita's bed. She slowly cocked her head to the side and admired all the damage she had done to her. The only emotion she could focus on was anger and resentment. Anger for how Rosita rubbed her and Nick's affair in her face the first time she had met her, anger for how she obviously didn't stay away from Nick, Anger for how they kissed each other and the loving look they had in their eyes, and most of all, anger for the monster that Malaki turned her into. 

Bree shook her head as she saw flashes of Malaki's laying there on the bed instead of Rosita. "Well look at you love, that cure burning bright through your veins, too bad I couldn't have stayed alive long enough to watch you reach your potential" He taunted. "No...No...You are not here...You are dead...I KILLED you!" Bree cried as she continued to shake her head. 

She closed her eyes tight and when she opened them she gasped and drew a step back. Malaki was gone. Malcolm had now appeared and was staring up at her with a sinister smile. "There's my girl" He said. Bree wanted to throw up from his words. That was something he would always say to her when he came down to the basement to greet her. "Looks like history has a way of repeating itself, I guess you were always meant to be chained up in a basement after all" He said grinning at her. "No...Impossible. You are not here, you are NOT here" Bree chanted over and over again, closing her eyes repeatedly to make him go away.

"Yes I am...I have made my mark on you, on your mind. You will never get rid of me. I will always be apart of you" Malcolm said as he began to laugh. "NOOOOOO!" Bree screamed.

She couldn't take it anymore. She had completely lost her mind. There was a bottle of alcohol sitting next to the bed by a first aid kit that was probably used to help disinfect Rosita's cuts that Bree gave her. She grabbed it and hastily unscrewed the lid and started dumping it on the bed and all around the room. 

She grabbed a match out of her pocket and without thinking twice about it she lit it up and dropped it, sending the whole room up in smoke. 

***********************************************************************

"No one has seen her since" Jeremy sadly finished his story. Negan stared back at Jeremy, flabbergasted by what became of Bree. He couldn't wrap his head around that his sweet Bree had turned into the monster that Jeremy was describing. "Shit...I'm sorry to hear 'bout all that, I really am. She was a good girl, a little mouthy at times, but her heart was in the right place" Negan told Jeremy.

"We miss her...But we know this is for the best. She turned into a kind of feral that I have never seen before. I just hope that she is far enough away from here that she can no longer hurt anyone else" Jeremy said with a solemn expression. "Well listen, I'll have my guys keep an eye out for her, if we see her, I'll try to see if I can get her to come back with me. Maybe I'll see if I can take a wack at breaking her, she might just need some tough love, none of that touchy feely crap."

Jeremy picked his head up at his words. "No...If you see her don't approach her. She is strong and she is dangerous, I can't promise that she won't try to kill whoever she comes in contact with, it would be wise of you to stay away."

"Listen Jere, I'll worry about me and you worry about you. If she's too much to handle then I'll back off...I appreciate the warning but if I see her, I can't promise that I won't do what I can to help her. Now, I know that you said that you want as far away from this shit as you can be but if you are ever in a jam, you are more then welcome to come stay at the Sanctuary." Negan offered. 

Jeremy nodded and said "Thank-you, I appreciate the offer but I think we are going to head south from here once we get enough supplies. Negan sighed. He looked up at the sky as if he were tossing up an idea and then took a few steps closer to Jeremy. "Here" He said, throwing Jeremy a set of keys, which he caught with one hand. "Take my truck. There is two containers of gas in the back, that outta help you get to the state line...It's not much but it's something to get you started. 

Jeremy stared at Negan in confusion. He couldn't believe that this was the same guy that Alexandria had talked so bad about. "Why?" he asked, honestly wanting to know the reason why Negan was being so generous. "Because your girl left quite an impression on me and saved my life more times than anyone else on my team. I feel like I owe it to her enough to help out the family that she wouldn't shut up about so just take it" He said gruffly. 

Jeremy stared down at the keys and then looked back up to Negan. He took a few steps closer to him and stuck out his hand for Negan to shake. "Thank-you" Jeremy said as he gave Negan a smile. Negan nodded in approval and said "And I mean it, if you guys get in a jam, you come right to my doorstep, I'll make sure you and your family are taken care of...I don't mean to be rude but I have a bone I have to pick with a certain stink eyed SOB". 

Jeremy nodded and said "I understand...May the best succumb". "Yeah whatever, Adios alpharito" Negan said his final farewell, waving him off. Once they parted ways Negan headed to Rick's house to wait for him. 

 

((((So Bree had lost her marbles. That virus did a number on her mental status and maybe, just maybe Negan might be the only one to break her out of it using HIS way. Stay tuned friends!)))


	28. When I See You Again

Negan desperately searched for Bree after his talk with Jeremy. For the next two weeks after that night, every day he sent out a team of Saviors to see if they could try to get a lead on her whereabouts. So far, they had been unsuccessful. Every now and then they would report back that they found a walker that whose innards were ripped out and mutilated but that could have easily been debunked as an attack being the cause of the death. They had found no concrete evidence that Bree was close by.

Negan didn't understand why she didn't come and find him after she ran away from her family. It puzzled him to no end and he was a little offended. She knew where the Sanctuary was and they left off on such a good note with that kiss, deep down he didn't want to believe that it meant nothing to her. Aside from their last moment, they had been through so much and survived together when Malaki captured them, he was sure that something like that would have left an imprint on their relationship, if that's even what you would call what they had. 

At the very least, she could have checked in with him to let him know that she was alive so he wouldn't think that she has been dead all this time and he felt like that was very selfish of her. Now that he had hope that she was still breathing, it was a personal goal of his to find her, along with the demise of Rick the prick at his hands. 

He was deeply saddened when he learned that Carl had died. It filled him with rage when he found out from Rick that he had died from getting bitten by a walker which would have been completely avoidable had rick been watching his son instead of plotting war against him. He had plans for Carl and he admired his fearless attitude and now he would never be able to see all the potential that he believed this kid had. It added fuel to his fire against Alexandria and it would make things that much sweeter when he finally had Rick in his hands. 

As for Bree, only time would tell if he would be able to use her against Alexandria. From what Jeremy said, she had totally lost her marbles and he wasn't sure what her mental state would be if he ever found her. He was hoping that her mind wasn't too far gone and that she would still be receptible to him. If she wasn't, he would find a way to make her be. Unlike her family, giving up on her wasn't going to be an option. 

Negan had just finished his meeting with Simon and he was heading down to the front gates. After he sent Simon to go deal with the garbage people, giving him explicit instructions on how to keep them in line, he got word over the radio that the Bree team was back and they had news! They found a cabin about an hour outside of the county line and there were signs that someone had been there recently. Negan decided that it was best for him to go there and check it out for himself.

He loaded up his truck and took the team that was responsible for finding her so they could lead him to where the cabin was. On his way there, he thought about if this was really a good idea or not. He did miss Bree but Jeremy's warning kept playing back in his mind about how he should forget about her. Could she have really been that bad? Bad enough for her family to abandon her and to not even try to get her back? If he did end up finding her, would she try to hurt him?

He knew that she was very powerful being what she was and he did make sure he and all his guys were armed but he didn't want to think that he would have to use his weapons against her. Granted, if push came to shove, he would do what was necessary but he was hoping things wouldn't escalate to that. He had no clue what state her mind was in and for all he knew, there could be a chance that she wouldn't remember who he was. But again, he was hoping that that wasn't the case.

Once they arrived at the cabin, Negan gave his team instructions to wait outside and keep watch while he was inside. He wanted to explore the cabin for clues without any disturbances. His guys had the place surrounded as he approached up the front steps with caution. Using Lucille, he slowly pushed the door open and it made a creaking sound.

He stepped through the front door and looked around. "Bree?.....You hiding in here?" He called out but there was no answer.

The place looked deserted and though there were no signs that anyone was there at that moment, he saw what his guys meant by there being signs that someone had been there. There were empty cans of food neatly stacked in one corner of the living room as if someone were building a pyramid. Negan frowned at this and he counted that there were twenty-two cans so whoever was residing here had been here for a while. 

He walked around the cabin, further exploring it and he found a pile of bedding in another corner that was opposite of the windows. He kicked it around with his foot to see if there was anything lurking beneath the blankets that could be of use to his investigation. He found a hunting knife underneath the pillow and he decided to pick up one of the blankets to see if there was anything else that he was missing. 

There were no more objects among the bedding but when he went to go put the blanket back down something did catch his eye. Grabbing blanket with two hands now, he held it up closer to his eyes, checking to see if they were deceiving him. Furrowing his eye brows he dropped one corner of the blanket and ran his fingers over the surface, catching little fibers between his finger tips. 

Dropping the blanket back to the floor, he slowly walked over to the window and held up his hand in the light. A toothy grin slowly spread to his face. It was fur. 

Now they could be other explanations for this. The previous owners could have had pets, an animal could have taken up a residence here, or the blanket could have even been brought here by someone who had a dog but there was one clue that made him think otherwise. The color of the fur was the same exact color of Bree's wolf form and the individual hairs were soft and springy giving Negan the impression that it was fresh. 

This gave him hope that Bree was still alive and she was close! He continued to look around and he found a few more clues that this is where Bree had taken up residence. In one of the bedrooms on the desk, he saw a series of drawings on paper which he wouldn't exactly call drawings, more like angry scribbles. Some of them looked like wolves, others looked like ghosts and demons and twisted nature scenes. It was all very dark and it made him frown that this stuff was what was going on in her head. 

He found it interesting that he found a few extra large T-shirts lying around but no other articles of clothing. That could only mean that she was living primarily as a wolf again just like how he found her and that couldn't have been good. The last time she did that, it took her a long time to change back and he was hoping that he would be able to find her before she became stuck. 

He let out a deep sigh. As bad as he wanted to wait around for her, he knew that wouldn't be a good idea. With the war that was going on, he didn't want to leave the sanctuary or himself as a sitting duck, waiting to be ambushed and he had been getting a vibe from Simon lately that he wasn't as genuine as he used to be. He was no longer fully trusting him with the Sanctuary and even though he had no solid proof that he was crooked, he didn't want to take any chances. 

Plus, he had no clue what kind of person that virus turned her into and he wasn't 100% confident that it would be safe. No. She was going to come to him. If there was any shred left of who she used to be, he was confident that she would return to him. She just needed a little push. 

He sat down at the desk and flipped over one of the drawings to a fresh, un-marked side and began to write a note.

 

Bree,

Come back to the Sanctuary. I want to talk to you. No judgments. No expectations. I won't try to fix you. Just give it a chance. You will see. You know where to find me. I'll be waiting.

-Negan

 

He left the note on the desk, face up. He knew she would see it. On his way out he stopped by where her bedding was and reached down to pick up her pillow. He had to leave her a reminder of just what she was missing. Opening up his jacket and grabbing the pillow with both hands, he began to rub it on his chest and all over his neck, soaking it with his scent. She had a better set of nostrils on her than a blood hound and he knew that she would know that he had been here, but he had to find a way to give her a constant reminder of him, even when she didn't want to think about it. 

Once he was satisfied that the pillow was fully saturated with his essence, he neatly propped it up in the corner on top of the blankets. He was hoping that this would be enough to drive her back to his arms but only time would tell if he was successful. 

He walked outside and announced to his team that he had everything he needed and that it was time to go. When everyone was loading back up in the trucks, he went in the back of his truck and grabbed two cans of food and something of nostalgia that he was hoping would strike a nerve. A bag of jerky.

Negan went back inside and placed it on the table in a neat arrangement and then went back out to his truck, leading his team of Saviors back to the Sanctuary. 

A few days had pasted since Negan visited the cabin where he believed Bree was residing. He harped on it for about a day but he did have a war to plan out and he became busy getting his ducks in a row. He had a nice long chat with Eugene about his purpose here and he had spent the past few days setting up an outpost for him to make bullets. Aside from his usual nervous demeanor, Eugene seemed on board with everything.

Negan noticed that after his talk with him, he was sporting a new found confidence that he had never seen on him before. Negan explained to him that he was a valuable resource to the Sanctuary and that he truly appreciated his knowledge. He told him that he was going to make him a leader and use him to his full potential, unlike Alexandria. The play on Alexandria seemed to work well because once Negan got him set up with his own team, he already had a couple dozen rounds of ammo made and had impressive plans to make more. 

Negan was coming back from his check up on Eugene with a new nuisance on his brain. Simon. 

Simon had been acting very sketchy lately and he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He knew that he was against all of his plans and he knew that if things had gone Simon's way then all of Alexandria and hilltop members would be a line of re-animated corpses on their fence, but that was not how Negan wanted to do things. 

He wasn't 100% sure about Simon's report back on how things went with the garbage people. Right after Simon returned was when Negan received the news about Carl from Rick himself through the walkie, and with the emotional baggage that came with that blow, he didn't get a chance to further ask Simon how everything went down. After they were done loading up from today's run, Negan was going to have another sit down with him about it to get all the facts straight. 

Negan was going through gun inventory and making sure that all the guns that went out on the run were documented and accounted for by each Savior. They were still at the loading gates and he was nearing the end of the task and couldn't wait till he was in his room with his feet propped up. It had been a long and productive day and he was ready for a cold one. 

He had a clip board in his hand and he was scratching down information as each gun was returned to him. Focused on what he was doing and exhausted from a days work, he was oblivious to his surroundings until one of his guys brought something to his attention.

"Did you hear that?" They asked, pausing to listen. Negan frowned and his eye brows knitted together. "Hear what?" He asked, his eyes squinting with confusion.

"Just listen" The Savior said, holding up a hand to silence everyone who was in ear shot. Negan's jaw slackened and his eyes went wide when he heard what he was talking about. It was faint but Negan could hear a distant howling coming from outside the gates. 

Negan shoved the clipboard and a pen into the hands of a nearby Savior as he feet took him to the outside of the carport that they were in. Keeping his eyes narrowed, he felt his heart thumping away in his chest and once he was outside, facing the main entrance he stopped dead in his tracks.

There she was, standing outside of the gates, looking just as beautiful as the last time he saw her. There was his Bree.


	29. Mrs. Hyde

It had been three days since Bree returned to the Sanctuary and she had not changed back into a human. Negan didn't understand it but he didn't want to pressure her so he let it slide for the meantime, hoping that she would eventually come around. He was just happy that she was back with him again. 

Since she had been back, she continued to follow Negan around everywhere just like she did when she was brought to the Sanctuary the first time. Negan didn't mind but he sure as hell wished that she would shift just to make communication easier. There was something off about her and Negan figured that she was still shaken up from her experience at Alexandria, and he couldn't have been more right.

The truth was, Bree didn't want to change back because that would mean she would have to talk about what happened and face it which she wasn't ready to do yet, and being a wolf made it easier to avoid that conversation. Negan didn't say anything to her about his talk with Jeremy, he was saving it for whenever she decided to shift back and he decided that he wasn't going to tell her about her family leaving just yet. With her refusing to change back, he couldn't tell what her current mental state was and he wasn't sure how badly she would react. Giving what she did to Alexandria last time she was upset, he didn't want to risk putting anyone else in danger. 

That virus had seriously messed her up for her to do what she did to her family and Rosita. To Negan, before that virus she was such a sweet girl and very level headed. She was good at stopping and assessing a situation and then would act accordingly after she weighed out all the consequences. Now she was different. 

Even as a wolf, Negan could tell that her temperament had changed drastically. Before when she was a wolf, there were little clues in her behavior where Negan could still make out that his Bree was still in there but now, she just wasn't the same. She used to have a way of looking at him where he could tell what was on her mind and she used to make certain facial expressions as a wolf that made him see the human side of her. She would also do these little grunts and whines if she had to get his attention. Now, well now she wouldn't even look at him. 

She made no facial expressions, no eye contact and he noticed that she now had an impulsive streak that she didn't have before. The first day she came back, she followed him down to the cafeteria so he could get her some food. She looked thinner than he remembered and he was sure that she was starving. When they arrived to the cafeteria, the place was pretty crowded and Negan went right to the front of the line as usual while everybody kneeled. 

There were a few faces that looked surprised to see her. Since the run-in with Malaki, word got out and everyone pretty much knew what she was, but knew better than to confront Negan about it. There was some people that were more leery of her now but because of how close to Negan she was, no body dared to give her shit about it.

When Negan motioned everyone to stand up, one of the workers lost their balance when they rose and knocked into Bree, stepping on her foot in the process. Bree let out a deep snarl and snapped, grabbing the workers pant leg, almost making him fall to the ground. "BREE! KNOCK THAT SHIT OFF!" Negan roared to get her off of him. She let go, but she kept her ears pinned back and growled at the poor man again as she retreated to Negan's side. Negan looked down at her in confusion, not sure what that was about and then had to apologize to the man on her behalf. 

Even though she now had a mean streak, she was still very loyal to Negan and would still listen to him whenever he told her to do something. Negan took that as a sign of respect and it gave him hope that she wasn't too far gone. As a wolf, he treated her as his equal and he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the way people shrank back in fear when she was next to him.

Today, Negan had gotten word that Dwight was back, He was on his way, with Bree, to hear it from the horses mouth on what happened. Dwight had mysteriously disappeared after they blew up Alexandria and Simon gave him a brief low-down, saying that Dwight was ambushed. Now Negan was standing in front of his room with Bree, about to knock on the door. 

Bree looked up at him to see why he was hesitating when she noticed he was staring at her. She held his gaze and he smirked at her. "Let's see if you think he's telling the truth". He knocked on the door and a moment later, Dwight opened up, standing shirtless and barefoot in front of them. Bree silently sneered to herself in disgust. She always thought he was so ugly and he was the last person that she wanted to see shirtless. She had no clue what Sherry saw in him. 

When Dwight opened the door, Negan greeted him with a big smile. Handing him a six pack of homemade booze, he said "Welcome home Dwighty boy!" As if he were greeting a long time friend. Dwight's eyes shifted from Negan to Bree, who stepped past him and started sniffing around like she owned the place. Dwight didn't say anything as he took the beverages from his hand.

Negan stepped in the room and started walking around, eyeing Bree. "I gotta say, it is damn good having you back...These things gotta git done. I need my top guys out in front ace'in that shit" Negan paused and studied Dwight as he stood there like an idiot. Finally he muttered a 'thanks' and Negan continued to size him up. 

Dwight was twitchy and both Negan and Bree could pick up on him being nervous which automatically put Bree on alert. She stopped examining the room and stared at the confrontation to see what would happen next. 

"Had yourself a close call I hear" Negan said, bringing up the main subject of why they were here. "Got ambushed" Dwight responded and then began fumbling up more of an explanation when Negan eyed him. His words were so jumbled, they barely made any sense and Bree could start to smell fear coming off of him. He mentioned something about their people putting up a blockade and Negan frowned. 

She knew he was lying through his teeth. Her head snapped up at Negan when he responded to Dwight's bullshit story with a 'Good job'. There was no way he could be buying this. Negan kept a hard expression on his face and said "We pulled the blockade...Have to let the mice play a little, 'cause, you know...Our people need to get their business in order."

He moved to get more in his face. "You'll see. So, why don't you just slug a beer, put on your best vest, and get your ass downstairs 'cause like I said....We got work". Negan continued to stare at him and Dwight avoided eye contact with him, looking down at Bree. 

Bree caught his gaze and when they made full eye contact, she let out a low growl, looking him in the eyes as if she were calling him out on his B.S. Negan looked back and forth at Bree and Dwight with a smirk. "Well I'll be damned....You know they say animals have the best judge of character...It's something in the scent...Looks like miss Bree here caught something on you she don't like" Negan said in a slow voice. 

Dwight nervously looked back up to Negan and forced a chuckle. "Yeah...I guess so" He said barely above a whisper. "Enjoy your beer" Negan said in a mono tone before walking out the door with Bree at his heels. She growled at Dwight one more time on her way out. 

Once they were a few feet away from Dwight's door Bree stopped walking. Negan walked a few more steps ahead of her and stopped when he no longer heard her feet next to him. He slowly turned and looked down at her as she looked up at him through urgent eyes. They stared at each other for a moment and Negan finally asked her "What?"

She let out a low whine and he knew what she was trying to say. "Yeah...I didn't believe a word of that either, don't worry sweetheart, all in good time". 

 

((Sorry this one was kinda short. Next one will have more action in it. It's gonna be a good one!))


	30. Separated

The Saviors were getting ready and loading up the trucks to make a visit to Hilltop. The Hilltop had captured about thirty of their people and today was the day that they were going to retaliate. Negan gave precise instructions to only injure a few members of the Hilltop and to not kill them under any circumstances. They had soaked all the weapons and ammo in walker blood and this was Negan's way of trying out a new tactic to get what he wanted. If everything went as planned, members of the Hilltop would turn before the day was over and then they would be forced to surrender when they saw how dirty Negan was willing to play. 

Instead of riding in his usual truck which now belonged to Jeremy (little did Bree know), Negan was sporting in a black Charger. While Simon relayed Negan's instructions to the Saviors, Bree stood close by, starring at him. He kept throwing her glances, more than usual, to the point where Bree was starting to get weirded out. Just then, Dwight casually strolled up from the building and Bree's ear's shot forward as she glared at him. The closer he got, she let out a deep low growl as if to let him know that she thought he was full of shit, and he quickly side stepped to go stand somewhere else. 

After Simon dismissed every body, Bree quickly padded over to Negan's car. She went to go hop in the front seat just like she always did but stopped when she realized that her seat was already taken by Lucille. She pinned her ears back and turned around to see Negan standing behind her. She gave him a look as if she were expecting him to move the bat so she could take her spot. Negan stared down at her for a moment and sighed. 

Kneeling down in front of her, he said in a voice just above a whisper, "I want you to ride in the back of the cargo truck today with Simon and Dwight. There is something going on with them that I just can't put my finger on and I want you to use that fancy hearing of yours to see what they are up to."

Bree stared at him for a moment and then bowed her head as if she understood him. He put a hand on her neck and rubbed his thumb over her cheek and smiled. "That's what I like to hear, good girl...You know what to do" Negan said as he got back to his feet. He called Simon over to get his attention and Bree stealthily jumped through the window of the truck Simon would be in and climbed in the back, out of sight. 

Negan told Simon that he wanted him to make Dwight ride with him, instead of on Daryl's motorcycle. He said it was for safety precautions but in reality he wanted to get Simon and Dwight together to see if they would talk. Once Simon told Dwight Negan's instructions, they were all packed up and on their way to hilltop. 

Bree remained in the back of the truck, laying down next to some boxes out of sight, waiting to see if Simon and Dwight had something going on that Negan didn't know about. Sure enough, they sang.

Bree thought that they weren't going to say anything at first because they stayed quiet for the first hour and then finally Simon asked Dwight what he thought about this whole operation. 

Dwight was reluctant to answer at first and Simon said "Come on, there is no one else here but us chickens, top guy to top guy. I just wanna know, in your analysis, do you think these people are gonna cower or cave when we deliver what amounts to just another warning?"

"Don't get paid to think" Dwight responded back, not looking at Simon. 

"Not true, I value your perspective Dwight, you have been on both sides of the iron...Well if you are not going to answer, let me express that I have my doubts that this little maneuver is gong to deliver the desired outcome."

Bree tensed up when she heard Simon say these words and Dwight thought about what he said for a moment. "Do you think we should do it different?" Dwight asked. 

"No...no no...I don't know, it's the big mans plan we will get it done, no question" Simon left off but continued to have a look on his face as if there way way more than he wanted to say. He pursed his lips as if in deep thought.

"We've thrown a lot at Rick, the widow, the King, and they just keep coming, keep fighting and you've seen it, I've seen it. Tallying it up, I keep seeing the same answer...They don't scare." Simon said angrily. 

Dwight stayed quiet, not wanting to say the wrong thing but not so deep down, he was thinking the same thing. Bree wanted to growl at them questioning Negan's leadership but as hard as it was, she stayed quiet, listening for more. 

Unfortunately, they stayed quiet for the rest of the trip. They were driving through a town when Bree heard a loud crash behind them and the screeching of tires. Simon slammed on the breaks and looked in the rear-view mirror. "What was that?!" Dwight exclaimed. "That was Negan's car" Simon replied as he nervously watched the mirror.

Bree rose to a sitting position, alert and ready for what was to come next. She was hoping Negan was OK and wanted more than anything to jump out to check on him but Simon hit the gas to start moving again. 

"Did you see it?!"

"Yeah, someone pegged him and pegged him good. Looked like just one guy from what I could tell" He said as he turned into an alley way. "Did you see where they went?" Bree heard Arat's voice come over on the walkie. "Just tell them to pipe down! Stay icy...May be more of them out there" Simon instructed. As much as Bree wanted to jump out and scout the area for him, she knew that Simon was right and that there could be more people waiting to ambush them. 

Dwight relayed Simon's message through the radio telling everyone to stay put while Simon moved the truck to block off the path. He cut the engine and opened the door and said "Let's go."

Dwight opened the door and froze when Bree's head appeared out of the back. Before he could say anything, she emerged up front and jumped out the door and started heading to where the Saviors were gathering in the middle of the alleyway. Simon's mouth practically dropped to the floor when he saw her and him and Dwight exchanged nervous glances of bulging eyes that she had been in the back the whole time. Bree would have to deal with them later, right now there were more important matters at hand. She had to find Negan and make sure he was OK. 

Simon's eyes trailed from Bree to the rest of the Saviors and he began barking out orders on what they were to do. "No body moves without a plan, a car hit Negan, took him off the road. They headed that way, couldn't have gotten far."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Arat said urgently. Bree let out an excited bark as if she were agreeing with her. They should be looking for Negan, not sitting here with their thumbs up their asses. 

"It was just one driver, it's nothing Negan can't handle on his own" Simon said with a smile as if Arat were being foolish. Bree pinned her ears back and growled as if that answer wasn't good enough for her. Worst case scenerio, she would look for Negan on her own, but it would be easier and safer with help. Simon looked down at Bree and sighed. "But just in case, Dwight and I will go check it out", he said as if it were major effort on his part. 

"All right, we can back you up and-" Arat started but Simon cut her off. "No, no. This might be a ploy to divide our forces, and we're not going to let that happen, not when we're so close to the master stroke. I turned my truck to make sure no one comes in this way. Gary, I want you to do the same down that end." Simon directed.

He looked at Arat and said "Your in charge. Keep everyone in tight, create a perimeter, cut down anything that comes close".

He stopped for a moment and looked at Dwight, completely ignored Bree which she noticed. "Shall we locate our benefactor?" he asked Dwight and he nodded his head. When they began to part from the Savior's, Bree followed them, running up to Simon's side to get to the crash site. She had a plan to put her nose to the ground and follow the trail to where they could have ended up.

"Bree" Simon said in a deep voice. She paused and looked back at him, not sure what the hold up was. "I want you to stay back with the rest of the gang...Keep em' safe, in case anyone tries to sneak up on em'...I know you will catch it before they do" he said, trying his best to muster up a good reason for her not to follow them and to sound confident in doing so. 

Bree pinned her ears back and stalked up to him, growling and snarling while showing her teeth as if she were telling him where he could stick that order. He might have been in charge of everyone else for the time being, but it would be a cold day in hell when he was in charge of her. Her only concern was getting to Negan and no one was going to stand in her way, not even Simon. Especially after the conversation she over heard.

Simon immediately pulled his hands up in surrender and hastily said "OK, OK, you can come with...Just stay close, OK?"

Bree rolled her eyes and trotted ahead of them to pick up a scent. Simon and Dwight exchanged glances back and forth, out of Bree's sight. They knew that she heard everything they said and sooner or later, they were going to have to do something about it. 

They followed the trail for about an hour. Simon and Dwight stayed a respectable distance away from Bree as she was busy with her nose to the ground, looking for Negan. She heard them chatting a little ways behind her but she was so focused on finding a trail, she wasn't paying attention. The more time that went but, the weaker the smell was and she was beginning to lose it. Every couple of yards or so she would catch a trace of it while she was smelling the ground frantically.

Simon was quietly giving Dwight his spiel on potentially taking out Negan and getting rid of Alexandria, the Hilltop and the Kingdom and making new relations while Bree continued to search. Dwight kept his eyes fixed on Bree and Simon looked back and forth between them as if putting the pieces together.

"You know...We are going to have to do something about our little freak show over there" Simon said in a low voice. Dwight looked at Simon but didn't answer. "She heard every word of our little chat earlier, all she has to do is shift back and relay to Negan that we were questioning him and that's it...I'm sure you don't want him to add more symmetry to your face."

Dwight looked to the ground and then looked at Simon as if he were playing his words in his head and then finally nodded. "What do you want to do?" He finally asked after another moment of silence. A grin spread on Simon's face that Dwight was on board. "Well with no witnesses in sight, you know...Anything could happen" Simon said with a scary smile. 

He knew that Negan was the one who gave Bree the order to ride in their truck. There wasn't much she did without Negan's instruction and he knew that chances were slim that she took it upon herself because she was always up his ass. That meant that he was suspecting them of something and once Bree reported back to him, he would retaliate...Unless she never made it back. 

Simon was pissed that Negan would stoop so low as to send a spy along with them and he was going to make sure that Negan would pay for it. If he was to carry out his plan to over throw Negan, Bree would have to be out of the picture regardless. He would never be able to get near Negan with Bree by his side.

Before Simon could think of a plan to take Bree out, She began to bark wildly and she ran down a street, leading them to a crash sight. 

Bree arrived on the scene first and she assessed her surroundings, trying to piece together what happened. There was a tan blazer with the front end smashed in and Bree assumed that this was the car that hit Negan. She found Negan's car about fifty feet ahead, flipped over on it's side and she ran around the back of it when her nostril's caught a whiff of blood. Negan was no where to be found but Bree was able to follow a trail that led into one of the buildings, meaning that there was still a chance that he got away. 

Once she was inside, she slowly walked around and examined the building. There was a hole in the wall above the staircase and the top of the stair railing had been broken as if someone destroyed it. Underneath there was a larger hole in the floor that dropped to a basement with broken stakes of wood lying around it as if someone had fallen through from the stairs. Bree peeked her head down but couldn't see or smell much past a certain point because there was too much smoke and the rotting smell of burning bodies around her. Something had caught on fire and Bree was praying it wasn't Negan. 

There was only one way she was going to continue her investigation. She took a deep breath and she jumped down, hoping that she would land on her feet and away from the fire. 

Bree made it to the bottom and flopped on her side with a thud. It knocked the wind out of her but she seemed OK. Once she got her bearings, she wished that she would have found a different route down stairs instead of taking the plunge. She heard them before she saw them and only a brief moment went by as she was surrounded by the dead. 

Bree instantly went into defense mode as she sought to tear their heads from their bodies. She had no clue where Simon and Dwight were and she sure could have used their help. They surrounded her quicker than she was able to take them out and one by one she jumped up and crushed their head's in her powerful jaws. She felt teeth sink into her back leg and she rolled to get away from it, almost rolling into a body that was on fire. Bree was able to get a quick glance and felt a minor relief when she saw it wasn't Negan.

As Bree continued to fight, she took out about six or seven of them but it was no use. There were still way more of them than her and she knew that she was going to have to run if she hoped to make it out alive. She did a quick scan around her at all the bodies that were on the floor and once she saw that Negan wasn't one of them, she got the hell out of dodge and jumped through the opening of an already broken window that led to another room. 

She was able to climb up and squeeze herself out through a top window and nearly collapsed when she was out of harms way. She looked back to examine her back leg and sure enough it was bleeding from the walker that bit her but it was nothing that wouldn't heal over time. As long as she was a shifter, she was immune to infection so she didn't worry about it. 

Out of breath and limping, she slowly walked down an alleyway back to the front of the building to go find Dwight and Simon. She stopped and crouched down when she heard them talking. It didn't sound like they found Negan and it also didn't sound like they were planning on finding him any time soon. 

"We could keep looking...Maybe find him more alive than dead but then what? We could face a distasteful moment...Or we could walk away..." She heard Simon say. She pinned her ears back at his words and had to stifle a growl, eager to hear what else he was going to say. Dwight didn't say anything but looked as if he were contemplating his words. "We could get back to our people and make things better" Simon trailed on. "This is a critical point in our history Dwight, this is something we could tell our grand kids about."

"What about Bree?" Dwight asked. "You know she's not going to stop looking for him and I don't think she will go along with it."

Simon straightened up at Dwight's statement and a smile grew on his face. "Well it's just her and us out here...No one else. With how snappy she's been since she came back I doubt anyone would miss her. It would be our word against her's...Except she won't be speaking any words if you know what I mean" Simon said as he cocked his gun. "Sounds like a win win to me...And if Negan does resurface...Well like I said, shit happens" Simon added. 

Dwight stood there for a long moment. He lit up a cigarette and took a puff of it as in deep thought. Simon continued to watch him for any kind of an answer. Finally Dwight took one last puff and flicked the cigarette at Negan's car and watched it as it was engulfed in flames. "Good answer" Simon said as a sadistic grin spread on his face. "Let's go find our girl."

With that, he brought his gun up and held it, ready to fire as he and Dwight began to walk around the building to where she was. They were greeted by the deep rumble of her growling.

"Well would you lookie here Dwight" Simon said in a low voice, pointing his gun at Bree and not taking his eyes off of her. "Seems like our girl here was listening to every word we said."

Before Bree could strike first, Simon pulled the trigger of his gun and shot at her. Luckily, Simon's aim wasn't so precise and she was able to dodge out of the way unscathed. "SHIT!" Simon yelled as he began to open fire on her, chasing Bree behind the flaming car. Dwight and Simon ran after her, guns still drawn and when they padded to where they saw her run, she was not there. "SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!" Simon cursed as he stomped the ground. "Where the hell did she go?!"

Dwight and Simon searched the area but she was no where to be found. "Come on, maybe she went back through the town to the others, we gotta get to her before she gets to them" Simon ordered. Dwight nodded and ran past Simon with his gun drawn, ready to fire at a moment's notice. Simon stayed right behind him. 

They walked down the street, past the direction of the tan blazer and once they were a few feet past it, Bree came out from her hiding spot behind the SUV and jumped on Simon. She grabbed him by the shoulder with her crushing jaws and brought him down to the ground with a yell. He was trying to hard to fling himself out of Bree's grasp and he lost his gun in the process. Bree wouldn't let go.

She growled and snarled as she violently shook her head back and forth, tearing into Simon's shoulder with force. "SHOOT HER!" Simon cried out as he tried to pry her jaws off him with one hand with no luck. Dwight was still in panic mode as he cocked his gun and aimed it at her, trying to get a clear shot without hitting Simon. 

Bree pulled back with Simon's flesh still in her mouth and her teeth soaked with his blood, dragging him across the ground in a frenzy. Finally Dwight fired and hit Bree right in her front leg, causing her to let go with a yelp. She knew that now was the time to run and she bolted the best she could away from them. 

Hearing multiple gunfire and loud cursing, she ran towards the direction of the woods where she knew she would be safe. She didn't anticipate them following her much further than that. She felt a sharp pain on the side of her shoulder as she ran, and she knew that Dwight clipped her again with his gun. 

She ran and ran as far and as fast as she could go to get away from them. She continued to run even after she was out of harms way just to be sure. Bree could feel her blood soaking her fur and she knew that she was going to have to stop soon to assess her wounds. She ended up next to a stream and laid down, weak and out of breath. 

Bree licked some of the blood away from her leg and she could see that there was still a bullet lodged in there that was going to have to come out for her to heal properly. The would on her shoulder didn't feel half as bad as her front leg and she was hoping that was because she was only clipped and there was no bullet in there. 

There was only one way that she would be able to help herself. She was going to have to shift. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even though Bree got away, Simon was still feeling pretty good about the story that he and Dwight concocted up in regards to what happened. 

They never found Negan and when they decided that it was time to go back and make sure everyone else was still OK, Bree must have wanted to keep searching and wasn't taking no for an answer. When they tried to head back, she became aggressive and attacked Simon which he now had the bite mark to prove his story. Dwight had no other choice but to shoot which he did and the shot attracted a heard of the dead, forcing them to flee the scene and leave her there. 

It was a good enough story for them and they rehearsed it several times so they would be the same. 

Simon wasn't worried about Bree finding her way back. If she did, everyone would know that she had turned on them and they were instructed to shoot to kill her if she did manage to show up at the gates. He was doubtful that she would have survived, he knew that Dwight had got her at least two times and there was a good chance that she would bleed out before she made it back to the Sanctuary with how far away it was. If that didn't get her, he was sure that the bite he saw on the back of her leg would due her in. He obviously knew nothing of her kind. 

Sure enough, everyone believed their story. Some of the Saviors like Arat and Gary looked like they weren't fully buying it but they didn't have much else to go on being that both Negan and Bree were not present to defend themselves so they decided to go along with it. Simon instructed everyone to load up and head home.

Before he pulled away, he gave one last scan around their perimeter to make sure Bree was no where in sight. He then tapped the side of their truck two times and told Dwight to drive, leading the convoy away from the crash site.


	31. Now You're in Deep and Now You're Gonna Cry

Once Bree shifted back to human, she was able to put pressure on her arm and go find shelter. Her injuries hurt worse now after she shifted and she limped for about half a mile until she found a run-down gas station. Luckily she didn't run into any of the dead because she wasn't sure that she would have been able to handle them with the shape she was in. 

Once she made it to the safety of the gas station, she barred the door and collapsed on the ground. She could feel herself getting weaker and weaker from the loss of blood and she knew she was going to have to dig this bullet out soon or else she wasn't going to heal. She pulled herself to a sitting position and scooted to the nearest wall to prop herself up and slowly began to climb to her feet. 

Right away she began to look for supplies to perform a make-shift surgery on herself. She gathered a few bottles of water, completely downing the first bottle until the plastic crumpled in on itself. She found towels, aspirin (which she took two of), a bottle of Grey Goose and a plastic spoon. Going into the back break room, Bree felt like she struck gold when she found a first aid kit. She was ready. 

She grabbed the bottle of Grey Goose and poured it all over her arm, hissing from the pain. She held the bottle up over her shoulder and did the same. The blood and alcohol mixed together, creating a creamy red substance that dripped on the floor. Right away she wrapped it in a towel and gently put as much pressure as she could stand, wiping away the blood to get a better look. 

The bullet was in there pretty deep and she knew it was going to be challenging to get out on her own. In the past, every time her or her pack members got hurt, they always brought their wounds to Jeremy who would skillfully patch them up. A long time ago, before he met Bree, he had taken some classes to be a doctor so he knew what he was doing and wasn't afraid to do what needed to be done, unlike her in this moment. The memory made her miss him for the first time since she split. 

Bree took a deep breath and with shaky hands she grabbed the spoon. "Here goes nothing" She said and began to dig in her arm for the bullet. She cried out from the pain she was inflicting on herself and tears ran down her face. She was trying to be quick to get it over and done with and in doing so, it was actually taking her longer because her movements were sloppy. 

The corners of her vision were blackening and she was beginning to see stars from the amount pain she was in. This was the first time she ever had to do anything like this to herself and she wished she paid more attention to Jeremy when he would operate on them instead of shying away. 

Finally she felt the hardness of the bullet and was able to lodge the tip on the spoon under it and pull it to the surface. Once she got it out, she threw it across the room and more blood erupted out of her arm. She cursed under her breath and grabbed the towel to put pressure on it. Removing the towel she drenched her arm in a bottle of water and re-positioned the towel, using her free hand to open up some gauze and a bandage. 

It took a while but using her teeth and her one hand, she was able to wrap the gauze around it with mild pressure. The blood began to soak through the bandage but it was going to have to do for now, she used what little skills she had to the full extent and there was nothing more she could do for herself. Hopefully her ability to heal quickly would kick in now the bullet was gone and she would be fine. 

After that ordeal, she was exhausted but still had to tend to wound on her shoulder and back leg. She poured a little booze on both, dabbed them with a towel, and slapped a bandage and some gauze on it, not caring for them as much as she did her arm. They were only flesh wounds and she was confident that they would heal in no time. They had already stopped bleeding. 

Bree felt like a mess as she laid on the cold tile of the gas station, naked and vulnerable. She was covered in dried blood but was too tired to care. She felt a shiver run through her body and she wrapped a towel around herself to keep warm. It would be dark in a few hours and Bree decided to wait inside before she left, in fear that Simon and Dwight could still be looking for her. She knew too much now and they would stop at nothing to kill her because she had their lives in her hands. 

All it would take is for her to make it back to the Sanctuary and they would be done for. She had a plan to wait it out until night fall to gather her strength and then head back. She really wanted to look for Negan but with the shape she was in, it was a lost cause. She couldn't shift back and she wasn't going to make it far by herself as a human. She was praying that he was OK and that she would soon be reunited with him. She would tell him all about Simon and Dwight and they would come up with a plan on what to do next. 

It would all work out, it had to. For all she knew, Negan could already be back at the Sanctuary, safe and sound. Bree smiled at that thought and took another long sip of water. She laid down on the floor and pulled at the towel that was around her, falling into a dreamless sleep. 

Bree awoke in the middle of the night and slowly rose up. She checked her wounds and even though they were still very tender, they had stopped bleeding. She got to her feet and even though she still felt weak, she could not stay here any longer. It was time to go. 

Scanning the place one more time for supplies, she noticed a gym bag stuffed in the corner of the break room. When she opened it she squealed in joy. Inside was a white tank top and a pair of black girls work out shorts. The shorts were a little tight but the tank top fit nicely and she wasn't going to complain. She was relived that she wasn't going to have to walk back to the Sanctuary in her birthday suit. There was also a pair of shoes in there but they were about two sizes to big so she decided she would go barefoot, as much as that would suck.

She filled the gym bag with as many waters as she could carry and a few bags of expired chips. The gas station had various canned goods and supplies but she wanted to pack light since she was still weak and had a long trip ahead of her. She poured a little of the Grey Goose into a water bottle, just in case she needed to clean her injuries along with more gauze and bandages. The last thing she grabbed was the bar that she locked the door with to use as protection if she were to run into any walkers. 

Bree opened the doors and felt the cool fresh air hit her face. She took one step out on the cold concrete and sighed. This journey was going to be rough barefoot, she really wished that she could change back into a wolf but she didn't want her wounds to open up again. "Here goes nothing" She said as she began her journey. 

About an hour into walking, she began to wish that she had waited until morning to start this trip. It was so dark out and she couldn't really make out the road signs or where she was even going for that matter. Her feet were killing her and she was beginning to think that she was lost. She walked on the road figuring it would be easier on her feet than the woods, and she didn't have to worry about any one (or anything) sneaking up on her. 

Her thought's kept her occupied and she was beginning to lose hope of ever finding the Sanctuary. She was afraid that Dwight or Simon would find her first and then that would be the end. Her self doubt got the best of her and her body was so achy from everything she endured in the past twenty-four hours, she needed a break. As bad as she wanted to get to the Sanctuary before sunrise, she was losing hope that it would happen and she began to cry. 

Bree walked a few more steps before she collapsed on her knees and sobbed. This was the first time she had been a human since she left Alexandria, it felt like her emotions were coming back in full force. She was worried about Negan and the fate of the Sanctuary in Simon's hands and now getting lost was the straw that broke the camels back. For the first time since she left her family, she let herself have a good long cry. She let herself feel everything that had happened to her and everything that she had done and it did not feel good. 

She felt like she was going to go into a full blown anxiety attack and she quickly tried to pull herself back together and keep moving, shutting off her emotions like she had been doing this whole time and thinking about what she needed to do. She was so focused on her break down and trying to get a grip on herself, she didn't hear the car that pulled up behind her. 

Bree tensed up when she heard a car door open and her heart began to flood with adrenaline. Her eyes went wide and she instantly went into defense mode as she slowly grabbed the bar that she brought along with her for protection, not wanting to make any sudden movements.

"Hoooly Hell" a deep voice said behind her and she picked up her head in complete surprise. 'No way' She thought to herself, afraid to turn around and have her hopes demolished. 

"If shit could shit, it still wouldn't look as shitty as you."

Bree's frown quickly turned into a smile and her face lit up with joy, lifting her dark mood. She rose to her feet, staggering a little from her weakness and turned around. There he was in all his glory, not a single injury on him, unlike her. "Negan!" Bree exclaimed. She had finally found him, though technically he found her but that didn't matter. She was just so happy that he was OK!

She began to hobble over to the drivers side of the car and Negan got out and met her halfway. She never tore her eyes off of him and when they approached each other, she practically fell into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her, not wanting to let go. She inhaled his spicy scent and it felt good to be wrapped in his essence, knowing that he was alive after thinking the worst. 

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "What the hell happened to you sweetheart" He said in a rich voice that made her weak at the knees. "What happened to me? What happened to you!? Simon said that a car ran you off the road, I looked everywhere and I couldn't find you! I found your car flipped over and I..I went into the building, the..the basement...You were gone...Just gone..." She stammered, crying at the last part, holding onto him tighter. She was afraid that if she let go of him, he would disappear like a mirage so she held him tight. 

"Hey hey hey, calm the fuck down...I'm OK...I'm here, I'm here...Everything is alright" He said trying to soothe her, seeing that she was getting worked up. Bree sniffled and finally pulled away from him. She released his neck but he kept his hands around her waist, afraid that she was going to buckle down and start crying again. "No...No it's not..." She said shaking her head and wiping the tears from her eyes. Negan gave her a questioning look and she began to tell him what happened.

"Simon and Dwight are planning on taking over the Sanctuary...I over heard them questioning your actions on how you are handling everything and after you were hit they didn't want to look for you and they tried to kill me. They wanted to kill me and then leave you out here, hoping that you were dead. Dwight shot me but I got away, Simon gave him the order. It sounded like he was trying to convince Dwight to go along with his plans."

"Ohh fuck" Negan breathed as he looked up and let out a deep sigh. "Just what I was fucking afraid of...Get in...We gotta head back...There is a lot we need to talk about it" He said with a sharp voice. Bree nodded and limped around to the passengers side. Negan kept his eyes on her the whole time. "Hey Bree" He called out to her, getting her attention before he got back in the car. Bree picked her head up and looked at him to see that he was smirking. "It's nice to have you back" He said giving her a wink. Bree gave him a half smile and then climbed into the car. 

While they were driving, Bree learned that it was Rick that ran him off the road and that he tried to kill Negan but then he obviously got away. He then told her about how he was kidnapped by Janis, the leader of the garbage community and how Simon wiped out all her people right in front of her.

Bree gritted her teeth at that story. It made her sick that he had such a cruel streak and she wanted more than anything to rip his head from his body, but she knew that wasn't for HER to do. "What are you gonna do about him?" Bree asked, curious to see if he had a plan. 

"Well...I've given it some thought. I think I want to lay low for a bit, ya know? Let him think that everything is squared between us and give him the feeling that he is safe from all this. I wanna hear his side and the lies that he is spewing to everyone, especially about what he did to you. As for you...Well I want you to stay hidden until I tell you it's time. I wanna see the look of his face when he realizes how fucked he is and I want him to feel EVERYTHING."

"What about Dwight?" Bree asked. "Ohh don't worry about him...He will get his...I just need you to stay outta sight, outta mind until I tell you to come out and play" Negan replied. Bree smirked, feeling eager to see how this all plays out. They had a brief moment of silence until Bree interrupted it with a sharp gasp. "Oh my God!" She exclaimed as she brought a hand to her mouth.

She made Negan jump and he slammed on the breaks. "Now what?" He asked in annoyance. "Simon!...I..I bit him!" Bree squealed as the thought hit her. "So what? It sounds like the little prick deserved it from the story you told me." Negan said, obviously not seeing the bigger picture. 

"No Negan...I...BIT him" She said with wide eyes, emphasizing the words. It took Negan a second to catch on but he suddenly drew in a sharp breath and looked away in dread. "Oh fuck...Alright...Walk me through it. Tell me what's going to happen."

Bree hesitated as her eyes darted back and forth, the realization of what they could be dealing with fully setting in. "Earth to Bree! Come on, snap out of it...Tell me what I need to know dammit!" He said snapping his fingers a few times in her face. 

"He might not make it...He might not be strong enough to survive the change but if he does..." Bree trailed off as she envisioned the hallways of the Sanctuary painted with dead bodies. 

"If he does what!?" Negan exclaimed, wishing that she would just say what he needed to hear. Bree straightened up and turned to face him. "If he survives the change...He will kill whoever comes in his path...It takes years to learn how to control the wolf, even I still don't have it 100% down...The first shift consumes you with a powerful blood rage and nothing can stop him...We gotta get back ASAP!" Bree cried.

With that Negan stepped on the gas and floored it back to the Sanctuary. "How long does it take for him to turn?" He asked while he kept his eyes on the road. Bree paused for a moment as if she were in deep thought. "He would be getting into his final stages by now...He will be a wolf by the time we get there...Maybe he will be in his room when it happens" Bree said, trying to give them hope. 

"Jesus fucking Christ Bree! Are you telling me that we could be walking into a blood bath with a deranged werewolf on the loose? Nice fucking going" Negan raged. 

"I'm sorry...I just....You weren't there! You don't know how scary it was...He was going to kill me! I had no choice!" Bree fired back, getting upset that he was angry with her. 

Negan sighed. "Bree...I'm not mad at you but I need a moment to process how shitty this situation is we have here...Unlike you, I have NEVER dealt with this before...Give me psycho paths! give me Tigers! Hell give me zombies and I can fucking handle it but this...If ya haven't noticed I'm just a little out of my fucking element on this one" Negan said, his voice sounding panicy.

Bree felt herself wanting to snap back at him and she tried to remain cool. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to ground herself. Finally she opened them and looked at Negan. "That's why you have me" She said in the calmest voice she could muster up, putting a hand on Negan's arm.

She didn't have the heart to tell him that she had little to no experience with someone who was newly changed. That was always Jeremy's department with Clay, Nick and Elena's help. He would never let her intervene or try to help because of how dangerous it was. 

Negan looked down at her arm and then to her face and then back to the road. She stared at him and watched his features slowly soften. He drew in a breath and said "Yeah...That's why I have you", letting go of his frustration. Whatever mess they came back to at the Sanctuary, they would face it together. One thing he knew for sure, at the end of the day, no matter who turned against him, Bree would always have his back. 

 

(Kinda another boring chapter, this one was more of a transition for what is to come. Next one will be more exciting, I promise! Also sorry if my timing doesn't match up with the Canon...I couldn't find a way around it without drawing things out...If you didn't notice then disregard this message lol)


	32. Lost in Translation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I lied, this chapter is a fluffer. Sorry, I just really wanted to get one cute and somewhat peaceful moment in before shit hit the fan again. Please don't be mad, I'll try to get the next one out by tomorrow, if not the next day!

Once Bree and Negan neared the Sanctuary, Negan slowed the car just a bit. "Alright...Were almost there...Let me do the talkin' at the gate, you just sit there and look pretty" He said as he craned his neck to see the front gates. Bree rolled her eyes and didn't respond, wondering how he was going to play this off. 

"Hmm...Well everything seems as normal as it could be out front" Negan said as the pulled up to the gate. There were a few Saviors casually standing outside on guard, like they usually were. When he drove up he rolled down the window. One of the men walked up and leaned down, his eyes widening when he saw just who was in the car. "Negan...I knew it...Your alive" He said in a cheery voice. His attitude quickly changed when he saw it was Bree sitting in the car next to him. Bree gave him a smirk and winked, flicking her eye brows and nodding her head. 

The Savior didn't know what to make of the situation as he nervously looked back and forth between him and Bree. "Sir...Are you OK?" He asked Negan like one would ask an abuse victim if they were OK while in the presence of their abuser. 

"Hell yeah I'm am...But you're not gonna say a word of this, you understand? Daddy's home and and it's gonna be a surprise...Hell I got all sorts of surprises to roll out...Hey by any chance, you see Simon around?"

The Savior looked confused and anxious about answering that question. Negan raised his eye brows as if he was expecting an answer and the Savior said "Simon..Uhh yeah, he actually just left about five minutes ago, you just missed him. He was making the last rounds."

Negan turned his head to look at Bree and met her confused expression with furrowed eye brows. He turned his head back to the guard and said "Hmm...Interesting...Did he seem...OK to you? Anything out of the ordinary with him?"

"No sir...I'm not sure what you mean but he seemed normal I guess" He responded, showing confusion in his question. "Hmm...OK then...Well thanks for the greeting...If I hear that you said anything about seeing us tonight, you will have some mighty apologizing to do...Only it won't me to me, it will be to Lucille, Understand?" Negan threatened. "Yeah of course, whatever you say."

"Alrighty then, you boys have a good night" Negan said, ending the conversation and driving off. 

Once they were away Bree shook her head from side to side. "I don't understand...How is that possible? He should be a full on wolf by now, and even if he wasn't, he would be showing obvious signs of a sickness, anyone would know something wasn't right with him".

"Hmm...Maybe you didn't bite him hard enough" Negan suggested. Bree shook her head. "No...I could taste his blood Negan, I bit him and I bit him good...I just don't understand any of this" She said, at a loss. 

Negan sighed. He was relieved that nothing had happened....Yet. He didn't know as much about this wolf stuff as Bree did so maybe there was something he was missing but judging by what the guard said, it didn't sound like they had much to worry about. 

"Maybe when Malaki used you as his own personal science experiment, maybe he altered you DNA or something" Negan said as he thought of all the plausible scenarios. Bree looked down into her lap as if she were in deep thought. 

All the sudden she let out a big yawn and shook her head, trying to wake herself up. It was late and she was feeling drained from the toll that the days events had put her through. She experience an emotional roller coaster when she thought she lost Negan and then found him, She changed back into a human after being a wolf for over a month, she almost died and she lost a lot of blood. Needless to say she didn't have much energy for anything and Negan could see that.

"Look, when we get back up to the room I'll do a sweep around to make sure there are no bodies anywhere...As much as I know you wanna solve this little mystery on our hands I think it's time we call it quits...I think you're spent for today" Negan said, generally concerned about her.

"No, Negan I'm Fi...Fihaaaanneee" Bree tried to say but was interrupted by another yawn. "Yeah...Uh huh...I think your done today missy, let daddy take care it, you need to catch up on your beauty sleep."

Bree scoffed at him and rolled her eyes. "You do realize he will rip your head clean from your body and feast on your organs if I'm not there to stop him, this isn't a joke Negan!" Bree yelled, getting upset. There was no way in hell she was going to take a chance losing him over something that could have been easily preventable just because she was 'tired'. 

Negan parked the car and then smirked at her. "Alright alright, we will do a sweep through on our way up...If nothing seems out of the ordinary then we will pick up where we left off in the morning."

Bree nodded her head and let out another yawn. Negan looked at her in amusement and opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off, holding up a finger. "UH UH! Not another word!"

Negan chuckled and they got out of the car to head up. "You know...I gotta say, it warms my nutt sack when you show me how much you fucking care about my well being" Negan said, breaking the silence they were having while inspecting the grounds. Bree looked at him and then rolled her eyes, giving him a smirk. "Well, just like an abscess, you have grown on me" She replied back smartly, walking past him. 

Negan drew his head back with a cocky smile and he quickened his pace behind her, reaching up and smacking her ass. Bree squealed and jumped away from him, giggling like a school girl. Not quite the reaction he expected but he'd take it. 

Once they covered each hallway of the Sanctuary, including the doorway of Simon's room, they decided it was time to head upstairs. Negan opened his door and held it open for Bree, following in behind her and locking it. Right away Bree made a b-line for the bed, only to be interrupted by Negan.

"Oh I know you are not gonna go climb all up in my sheets like that" He called out to her. Bree whipped around, giving him a confused look. "What is your problem now?" She groaned.

"I wasn't kidding earlier when I said you looked like shit, go take a look at yourself Bree, you are NASTY! You are cover in blood, sweat, and God knows what the fuck else, get your ass in the shower before you climb in MY bed, where I sleep."

Bree let out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes. "Come on Negan, I'm exhausted! I'm so tired I feel like I can barely stand, I'll shower in the morning, I promise" She argued. Negan shook his head. "Bree, I'm being serious, either sleep on the floor or shower, you are NOT gonna mess up my sheets with all that shit, GO" He ordered pointing to his shower door. 

Bree stomped her foot and let out some sort of child like tantrum noise and padded over to the shower. She got about halfway to Negan and started stripping off her clothes, not looking at him. 

"Well damn...How bout' that, and I didn't even have to buy you dinner first" He said, unable to control where his eyes were wandering. "Oh shut up, it's nothing you haven't seen before" She said as she made her way into the bathroom. Negan drew his head back and scrunched his face. "Where is Bree and what have you done with her?" He asked, still surprised at how little it bothered her being naked in his presence. 

Usually when she was gearing herself up for a change, or just coming out of one, she was of course free of clothes and would act shy and bashful around him. Granted, it was true that he had seen her naked plenty of times before but she would always draw her shoulders in and cover herself the best she could, yelling at him to look away. Now, it was like she could have cared less. 

Bree didn't answer him and closed the door over and turned on the shower. While the water was warming up she looked at herself in the mirror and she could see what Negan was talking about. She had dried blood all over her arms and legs and her hair was greasy looking and sticking up in random places. She had bags under her eyes and she agreed that she did indeed look like shit. As she stepped in the shower, she couldn't remember the last time she had taken one. Surly it was before she left Alexandria. 

The hot water felt so amazing and she didn't want to turn it off. She basked under the spray and lost track of time, relishing in the feeling. She began to feel weak and decided to sit down in the tub to wash herself, only she never got around to it because she passed out in the corner of the shower in a little ball. 

Negan noticed that she was taking a long time and he was getting impatient because he wanted to shower after her and it was getting later and later, soon enough the sun would be coming up. He rose from the bed with a growl and angrily knocked on the door asking her if she was still alive in there. When there was no answer he called her name and knocked again with more forced. She didn't latch the door closed so it opened under his fist and he peaked in to see she was curled up in the back of the shower. 

"Oh you better be joking...Bree! What are you doing in here!?" He exclaimed, barging in to turn the water off. Bree stirred awake and looked at him with her eyes half opened. "Oh...I'm sorry...I must have dozed off...The water just felt so good, it made me sleepy" She said, still half asleep. 

Negan's firm expression slowly softened as he looked down at her. She was obviously tired and weak from the day and when she attempted to stand she fell back down again. "Here" Negan said, stepping in the shower and handing her his arm. She took it and was able to stand up, lightly swaying back and forth. 

Negan starred at her for a few moments and rolled his eyes and grunted, throwing all his weight into his movements. He stripped off his shirt and started to unbuckle his pants. "Wha...What are you doing?" She asked nervously, looking at him as if he had lost his mind. "Well at this rate, you are going to be in here till sun up and I still need to shower. I have a ton of bullshit I have to deal with tomorrow and it will be easier to deal with said bullshit with a few hours of sleep under my belt, so IF you will excuse me, I'm coming in."

Before Bree could say another word, he whipped off his pants along with his boxers around his ankles and kicked them to the side. Bree's eyes went wide as she couldn't help but take him in. He was standing before her, bare naked. He stepped in the shower and she involuntarily backed up, still in shock over what he just did. 

He turned the water on and turned to face her with a smile. "There, how's it feel to no longer be the only one naked" He said, grinning as he reached for his body wash. Bree's eyes were still bulging out of her head and she was having trouble swallowing, more less come up with a response. Finally she gave him one more look up and down and stammered out "Congratulations" as she took him through a wide eyes gaze. She was embarrassed to admit that he was bigger than Nick, who didn't need any help in that department by any means. 

Negan chuckled and threw her a wink. He could already see he pushed her way beyond her comfort level so he kept his comments (which he was having an extremely hard time not blurting out) to himself. Things were about to get a whole lot weirder for her. 

He grabbed a wash cloth and saturated it with blue body wash and signaled for her to come closer. Bree stayed where she was, continuing to gawk at him being in the shower with her and he rolled his eyes, pulling her closer to him. "Come on, I'm not gonna bite, your OK" He said as he began scrubbing her arms, being delicate with her wounds. 

Bree was really tense at first, not sure what to make of this act but as he worked on her she began to relax and let him do what he needed to do. He was only doing the bare minimum to clean her and nothing else to make her any more uncomfortable that she already was. His movement's were nothing sexual of the sort and he just wanted to help her get cleaned up so she could go to bed and be ready for tomorrow. 

He grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squirted it in his hands and began to wash her hair. It had grown longer than he remembered, falling in cascading waves almost down past her waist. Bree breathed in deep and got a whiff of oranges and cloves as he rubbed his palms together. His hands felt so relaxing and strong as they massaged her scalp, if she wasn't so uneasy, she could have dozed off again.

They exchanged no words of any sort which Bree was grateful for, being that this was a step further than just being naked in front of him. Every now and then he would gave her a firm hand gesture on where to move and once all the soap was out of her hair, he gave her two pats on her arm and told her she was done. He remained in the shower as she stepped out and he began to wash himself now that she was clean.

She grabbed her towel and rubbed her face in it and then folded it around her body, eager to cover up. "You can grab one of my shirts to sleep in for tonight" Negan said in the shower. "I'll see about getting you some clothes tomorrow morning."

Bree didn't answer him and she stepped out of the room to go raid his drawers for a clean shirt. She was still in shock from what he just did and she didn't really know how she felt about it. Sure it felt good to be washed by someone else when she was so tired but this was Negan we were talking about. Granted they had a bit of an odd friendship but it was based on a mutual respect of one another. It was throwing her through a loop and she couldn't figure out if his actions were romantic or simply platonic? 

She found a white T-shirt of his and threw it over her head. The shirt went down to about mid thigh and that was good enough for her. She pulled back the covers of the bed and climbed in, snuggling herself between the sheets and nuzzling her face into the pillows. Everything smelled like him, just like the orange and clove shampoo that he used. She was literally covered in his scent from head to toe and she couldn't say she minded. 

This was the first time that she got to sleep directly in his bed like this (As a human) and it was so comfy. When she was a wolf, she would still stay in his room but she would curl up on the couch, not feeling right getting in the bed as an animal. As she began to doze off, she entertained the idea of his actions being driven by romance over friendship and she decided that maybe she didn't mind so much if they were.

When Negan emerged out of the shower, he stepped into the bedroom, happy to see that Bree was fast asleep. a little smile crept on his face when he saw she was in his T-shirt and he dropped his towel to put on a pair of boxers and sleep pants. He slowly climbed into bed, being careful not to disturb her, as he eased in next to her. He turned on his side to face her and watched her sleep with a tender expression on his face. He gently rubbed the side of her cheek and she lightly stirred and nuzzled into his hand. "Goodnight sweetheart" He whispered, turning back over and closing his eyes. 

For a brief moment, he forgot all about his beef with Simon and how he wanted to tackle this situation tomorrow. He had an idea of what he wanted to do about it and with Bree at his side, he was going to take control and show everyone at the Sanctuary once and for all that he was not someone to cross.


	33. Worth

The next day, Negan awoke bright and early, eager to show everyone he was back and well. Bree was still asleep and he let her be, leaving the room and heading downstairs. He had business he had to attend to and it wasn't her time to shine, not just yet. 

He stopped down on a set of steps outside the Sanctuary and lazily twirled Lucille around, waiting to surprise a certain someone as they came from around the corner, right on time. Dwight lit up a cigarette and took a hit off of it, oblivious of Negan being right there. Negan let out a slow, two-toned whistle to get his attention. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the startled expression on his face as his jaw dropped. 

"Surprised to see me?" Negan asked, looking down on Dwight with Lucille over his shoulder. "Shouldn't be" Negan finished as he made his way down the stairs. Dwight still had a dumbfounded look on his face and his jaw was still practically hanging on the floor.

"Hell yeah I'm surprised...We found your car and Simon thought that-" Dwight started but Negan cut him off, asking Dwight to give him a hand to move a nearby dumpster. Dwight reluctantly nodded and put his cigarette in his mouth and proceeded to help Negan. While they were walking, Negan said "I'm not gonna lie, was a real punch in the dick when Rick cornered me in the basement with those decomposing assholes and you fellas never showed up...And then I come back, hearing stories that our little Bree turned on you and you SHOT her. Left her for the dead's next meal."

Dwight straightened up and his eyes dropped to the ground as he tried to fumble up an excuse, still shaky from being caught off guard. "Yeah...She got Simon good...Simon thought-" Dwight was interrupted again by Negan, who was now standing in closer, inches away from being in his face. "I wanna know what YOU were thinkin'" He growled, dropping his smile and getting serious. "See, I want to know if you remember who you are...This little talk is just between me and you" Negan reassured. 

Dwight hesitated before he answered. "Simon's your number two, I thought you wanted him calling it. When Bree grabbed him, I didn't know what else to do and Si gave me the order. I remember who I am...I'm Negan". Dwight's eyes were as wide as a junkies and Negan could see right through him but he wasn't ready to confront him on it just yet. There were still more things to set in place and people to see before he made his move. 

Negan's eyes remained narrowed but his lips curled into a smile. "Good. That's what I like to hear...Now do me a favor, put that smoke out...right there" Negan instructed, pointing to the ground. 

Dwight was sure that this was it. He did as he was told and braced himself for whatever was about to happen. 

"See when the time comes, and you will know when it comes, I want you to remember this little talk. I want you to remember what we've done and what we can still do together" Negan said, adding a bit of false warmth to his smile to put Dwight at ease. He gave Dwight a hearty pat on the shoulder and Dwight couldn't help but smile, feeling like he just escaped the jaws of death.

He still wasn't 100% sure what that whole conversation meant but he felt like everything had to be OK for Negan to just walk away like that without so much as a punch thrown. He was surprised that Negan wasn't as upset as he thought he would be over Bree but then again, he knew that she'd been more aggressive since she came back and maybe he thought it was better that she was gone. Maybe they did him a favor.

When Negan left Dwight to ponder, he walked back into the Sanctuary, gathering up a few of his closer Saviors that he knew he could count on. He wanted them to fill him in on everything that had happened in his absence from their point of view, without Simon or Dwight hovering over them. He learned that Simon led an attack against the hilltop and ordered everyone to shoot to kill, just like he didn't want, and that there were a few deaths. They told him that they ended up getting over-thrown by the hilltop and they had to retreat, managing to escape with only losing a few on their end.

Negan was pissed! He had specifically told him not to kill anyone and only injure a few and he went against his wishes. He sent two guys to go round up Simon and bring him in for questioning. It was going to take every ounce of strength he had not to beat him senseless on the spot for his selfish actions. He wanted to hear what he had to say about everything and how he was justifying it. Negan grabbed a small bottle of furniture polish and sat at the head of the table. He figured cleaning Lucille while he waited would help calm him down and he would be able to get a better grip on himself before his encounter with Simon. 

A little while later, Simon strolled in, looking just as shocked and fearful as Dwight did, seeing that Negan was alive and well. "Well I'll be damned" Simon said as his eyes roamed over Negan. "Boss! Happy to see your back! We missed ya."

Negan smirked as he rubbed the cloth over Lucille's surface, not making eye contact. "I'm sure you did" He said in a deep voice. "Sounds like you got some 'splainins' to do...Sit" He ordered. Simon's eyes shifted nervously around the room as he took a seat. There was an awkward silence in the room as Simon watched Negan rub Lucille down, waiting for him to say something.

Finally Negan picked his eyes up to look at Simon and said "So...Why don't you start with how you left my ass to be taken out by Rick the infamous prick and the rotting corpses and then how you shot MY pet and left her as well...You know if I didn't know any better...I'd say that's animal abuse" Negan said scrunching his face. Simon dropped his gaze and fidgeted in his spot. "And then, you can tell me why you sought out to massacre the Hilltop when you DAMN well knew that is NOT what I planned for." 

Simon tensed up at his accusation but he knew he would have to play this cool if he were to successfully convince Negan that it was all done out of good will and not to be malicious. He took a deep breath and put on a face as if anyone would have reacted just the same.

"I thought they killed you and that you we're gone, like that" Simon said, snapping his fingers. Negan propped up his feet on the table and continued to clean Lucille as if he didn't hear a word Simon said and Simon sighed in frustration. 

"I lacked discipline" Simon finally said, hoping that Negan would take pity on him. "And I made it personal. That's why I moved things from infection to extermination at the Hilltop...Yes, things went bad. Though I think it's possible we may have found ourselves in a similar tactical situation, regardless of approach...We don't know that" Simon said with confidence, looking around the table. The room was thick with tension and Negan still looked unaffected by his words. 

"So I'll own it...I just ask that you give me a pass on this one. I'll make it up to you, I'll promise you that...As for Bree, she took a chunk right out of my shoulder when I directly gave her an order...I'm a top guy, now let me know if I am wrong but if I remember correctly, that shit don't fly...It NEVER did! So I don't understand why I'm even being hassled, we all knew she was a ticking time bomb anyway" Simon said throwing his arms up and looking at Negan.

Negan could tell that he was just saving his own ass, there was not a hint of remorse in his tone when he talked and as bad as Negan wanted to tell him where he could shove his promise, he knew he was going to have to play this cool and calm. He was itching to bring up what he did to Janis's people, but he wasn't ready for him to know that he knew about that yet. 

Negan put down the rag and balanced Lucille over his shoulder, looking at Simon with a smile. He chuckled and said "You know, I remember when I took this place." 

He stood up with Lucille in his hands and slowly stalked over to Simon. "When YOU helped me take this place...Wasn't sure I wanted to keep you on board. I mean before me, before there was a system in this place, what you did, killing all those men, those boys in that settlement so long ago, a lot of people would think that is some psychotic shit" He said drawing his head back as he neared him. 

Negan continued to creep around Simon like he was about to pounce on his prey. "Like that is the work of a demented, broken, goddamn ghoul. Like that's not someone that you want to work with, let alone stand next to. So I figured I'd keep my eye on you. And I did. And everything seemed to work out riiightt up until this point."

There was another awkward moment of silence as Negan drew in his bottom lip and frowned, looking around the room. "I'm gonna need you on your knee's" He finally said with a serious expression. Simon tensed up and he could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He remained cool and confident but inside, he was indeed shitting his pants. He slowly lifted himself up, pushing the chair out from under him and kneeled down with his back facing Negan, waiting for him to make his next move. 

As dread started to fully set in, he was anticipating the blow from Lucille, almost wishing Negan would just get it over and done with instead of dragging it out. "You gonna make a move or is that it?" Negan tried Simon. "No move to make" Simon replied honestly, not knowing what he expected him to do. 

"No...There isn't" Negan said in a deep voice, barely above a whisper. He let Simon sweat it out for another moment more and just before Simon was about to take Lucille from Negan and bash his own head Negan clamped a hand firmly on his shoulder, opposite from the one Bree tore into. 

"All is forgiven, git your ass up...We're good." Negan said in a mono-toned voice. And just like that, he walked away from him, leaving Simon confused and dumbfounded that his head wasn't a pile of mush on the floor. Simon was stunned as he stood up and looked at Negan who was acting very casual for what could have just happened. He dug his thumbs through his belt loops, feeling sheepish and said "I won't let you down...Not you."

"Well I appreciate the hell out of that" Negan said turning to look at him, giving him a smile. He walked over next to Gary, who had been sitting at the table observing this whole encounter and gently tapped Lucille on the table. right away Gary began to dig out a map from his pocket, spreading it on the table to show a few coordinates that were circled. 

Just as nothing happened, Negan began going over plans that he had for the Hilltop about how they were going to make it so none of them could leave and that they would be there to clip them every time they did. He said that he wanted to organize teams to take shifts, watching the perimeter, taking out whoever came out of there until they had Hilltop's compliance. 

"It's an ambitious plan with testicular heft, I'll give you that" Simon said, plastering on a face smile. "I'm very happy to have you back boss man". He was obviously kissing ass but Negan let him. He had bigger things in store for him but first he had to fill Bree in on everything he had learned. After the meeting was over, he dismissed everyone and headed upstairs to do just that. 

Negan opened the door to his room to see Bree still laying in bed. She was awake and sitting up with the covers still over her legs, staring across the room as if she were in deep thought. She shook herself out of her trance and looked at Negan as he entered the room. "Oh good...Your up...We have some thing's to discuss. Here, found you some clothes" He said as he placed the folded up pile on the coffee table. He dropped Lucille at the door and sat on the bed with his feet still on the ground. Bree pulled herself up and tucked her bare legs under her, eager to hear what he had to say. 

"So, word's out, everyone knows I'm back. Everyone thinks you are dead and we will let them continue to think that until we are ready to make our next move. I squared things with Simon and Dwight. I let them think that everything is A OK between us so that way we have the element of surprise. I then met with some of my more trusted counter parts to hear what everyone has been up to since the cats been away, I can't say I was thrilled when I heard what my little mice have been up to" Negan started. 

Bree held an intrigued expression and asked "Why? What happened?" 

"Well apparently, Simon took it upon himself to stage a hostile take over. Since Alexandria has merged with the Hilltop, he figured it was the best decision to go there and light the place up instead of doing things my way. He wanted to completely eliminate Hilltop and Alexandria all together and start fresh, after I told him that is not the way we are doing things, and apparently, you are dead right now because you turned on him after he gave you a direct order." Negan said, rolling his eyes dramatically at the last part. 

"Pfft, I only bit him because he was trying to kill me, trust me, I could have done way worse if-" Bree started to say, but cut herself off mid sentence with a gasp. Her eyes grew wide and she cupped a hand over her mouth. Negan gave her a confused look and she jumped up out of the bed. "Oh my God! My family! Jeremy, Clay, Elena, Nick! They were all there! If Alexandria merged with Hilltop they were there!" She cried out in horror. 

'Shit' Negan thought to himself as he watched her grow excited. He hadn't had a chance to talk to her yet about her family. He was waiting for a better time to do it, not when there was revenge to be planned but now he was going to have to tell her. "I'll kill him! I'm going to fucking kill him!" Bree yelled. Her sadness quickly turned into anger and she made her way to the door in nothing but Negan's shirt, not bothering to put clothes on. 

"Whoa whoa, slow the fuck down there, they didn't kill EVERYBODY, they only killed some, you didn't let me finish, they didn't win. Hilltop ran them out of there, your family is probably fine" Negan said trying to de-escalate the situation, hoping to avoid telling her for the time being. "You don't know that Negan! I'm sure my family stepped into help! They wouldn't just sit around and do nothing if they were being attacked" Bree continued to yell, facing Negan.

"I'm going to fucking torture him, face it Negan! He's had it coming for a long time, and you are too much of a puss to do anything about it!" Bree growled, wringing her hands. By the look on Negan's face she knew that she had crossed a line but in that moment she was too angry to care. She was feeling one of her mood swings creeping up on her and she couldn't stop herself from erupting. 

"Now wait just a goddamn minute! I told you I have a plan. I suggest you calm your tits and go sit on the bed or-" Negan started to fire back but Bree got in his face. She had a fire in her eyes that he had never seen before. "OR WHAT!? Come on! Tell me what you are going to do to me, I DARE you" Bree challenged him. Negan swallowed and looked down at her with a first expression. Bree could hear him breathing as he tightened his jaw. 

There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other in fury, Bree testing him to see if he would back down. He didn't. He stood towering over her, not moving a muscle. He then took a step in her space, forcing her to back away from the door and he calmly but firmly said "I get that you are upset right now, I get that you are worried, but you HAVE to trust me when I say that your family is FINE, you cannot go down there half cocked and looking for blood right now. They will KILL you, Simon has everyone believing that you are a monster. You don't want to prove him right."

Bree's angry expression turned into a look of confusion. "How do you know my family is OK?" Bree asked, calming down a bit. Negan sighed and looked away. "Because they weren't at Hilltop" He said, finally looking at her face. 'Shit, here we go' he said to himself before drawing in a sharp breath. He looked at her with sincerity in his eyes and began to tell her the story that he was dreading to share with her. 

"The night that we blew into Alexandria...I ran into Jeremy. He wanted to stay back to make sure everyone was OK...He told me everything Bree...He told me about Nick, the fighting...Rosita...He told me that you had changed" He started, watching her face carefully for another mood spike. There were so many emotions passing through Bree's face, Negan didn't know what to make of it. He continued confronting her. 

"I didn't want to believe it, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't see a shift in your behavior. That virus did something to you. I know that's why you stayed a wolf this whole time. I knew you weren't ready to talk and I wanted to give you time until you were ready to come to me on your own. I told you I wasn't going to fix you and I wanted to hold up my end of the bargain. I just wanted to get you back to me and then I figured the rest would work itself out."

Negan was trying to speak as soft and as tender as he could, trying to find a way to word what he had to say to soften the blow he was about to hit her with. 

"The reason why I know your family wasn't at Hilltop is because Jeremy told me that he and your family were splitting from Alexandria...They wanted to leave the state completely, head South...He said that he didn't know what else to do for you and after what you did to Rosita, you were so far gone, he didn't think it was possible to get you back to being the person you used to be. He told me to stay away from you, that you were dangerous but I didn't believe him, I still don't. I Know your heart is just as good as it was before, you just need some guidance."

Negan paused for a moment as he watched his words sink in. She dropped her head to his chest as she processed his words. Her face went from confused, to scared, and then to a heart breaking expression that he had never seen on her before. He put a gentle hand on her face and brought her gaze up to meet his. "Say something sweetheart" He said in a low voice.

Tears started to well in her eyes and she brought her hands up to grip his leather jacket. The material twisted in her hands as she fought the emotions that were clearly over whelming her, fighting herself to speak. "They...They abandoned me!" She finally cried out and collapsed on her knees. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to cry, making noises of grief as she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. 

Negan knelt down with her and wrapped his arms around her. She was shaking and Negan had never in his life seen anyone as upset as she was now. She let out a wail in pain as Negan held her, pulling her close to him and rocking her back and forth, trying to console her. He rubbed her back and kept saying "Let it out sweetie, just let it all out, I'm here, I gotcha."

They stayed like this for a while. He knew that she just had to have a good cry but her reaction was tearing him up and he just wanted to make it better. Just then, he heard the crackle of his radio of someone asking for him. He growled and grabbed his radio, pushing the call button.

"What!" He growled through the speaker. "Boss, we need you down here at the infirmary right away, it's an emergency. Your gonna want to see this" Someone called through. "Fuck" Negan grunted as he juggled Bree and the radio in his arms. "I'll be there in a bit" He finally said. He hated to leave Bree in this condition but with everything that was going on right now, he didn't want to leave things to chance. 

"I'm gonna go check that out, you stay right here, I'll be back in a few...You gonna be OK?" He asked, trying to get her to look at him. She looked at him for a brief second and then retracted her body away from his, giving him the OK to go. "I'll be right back, I promise" He said as he stood up. He took one more look at her before he walked out the door. 

Bree sat on the floor, blankly staring across the room. Her crying had calmed down but she felt tired and empty inside. She was so devastated that Jeremy would just abandon her like that. He was her family, her father, her alpha...How could he just leave her like that and move somewhere without her. She wondered if he even bother to look for her after she left. Sure she had come to be a handful and she'll admit she wasn't herself, but wasn't family suppose to help you work through things like that? 

Deep down she felt bad for killing Rosita, she really did but it was something that she would never be able to take back. She had a momentary lapse in her sanity and she knew it was a bold move, but she didn't think that it was something that was totally un-forgiven by her family. Jeremy had years of experience with newly changed wolves whose emotions ran similar and she didn't understand how she was so different. Maybe she really was that far gone that there was no hope for her. 

Anger began to burn up her sadness and a scowl slowly appeared on her face. Before she knew it, she was full of a wild rage and she abruptly stood up. Breathing heavily, she grabbed the corner of a bookshelf and threw it across the room as if it weighed nothing. The shelf crashed into the wall and she began trashing the room, using anything as an outlet for her anger. She grabbed a series of glasses from Negan's mini bar and chucked them against the wall and then throwing the small table they were set on. 

There was one more thing that she didn't understand...How could someone like Negan still have hope that she could be redeemed when her own father didn't. The thought that he didn't think she was worth it, fueled her even more. If Jeremy really thought that she was bad then, she would prove that things could get much worse...


	34. My Poison is Your Remedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is lame!

Bree was literally and figuratively sitting in the middle of a room surrounded by the destruction she had single-handedly created for herself. Just like the broken bits of glass laying in crystal shards all around her, her emotions were all over the place. Once moment she would feel a deep heart wrenching sadness for losing her family for the second time, and the next she would be angry with herself for being the one to make it happen. In the end, she only had herself to blame and it was tearing her apart being helpless and hopeless to her own wrath that resided in her head. She knew that she was losing it but the idea of admitting it out loud, the idea of talking about it and acknowledging that there actually was a problem was all to real for her. 

She didn't know how to face what she did to Rosita. Sure there were deeper issues there and Rosita shouldn't have went anywhere near Nick like she did but that did not mean she deserved to die for it. She did not think of herself as a killer but with what she did, there wasn't much to mistake. Even though she would have to face it eventually, she wasn't ready to let those feelings surface and they would remained buried deep in her conscious until she was, no matter how much it tore her up in the long run. Deep down she was sorry and when she was ready to turn those emotions back on, she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to forgive herself. Whether her actions were based off of a mental lapse or not, it was going to haunt her forever. 

Bree was pulled out of her sullen trance by the sound of the door opening. Negan stepped in and froze when he saw the mess that she created, his eyes slowly moving around the room and then landing on Bree who couldn't bring herself to look at him. She sat in the middle of the floor, on her knees with one arm wrapped around herself and bits of broken glass cutting into her shins. Her eyes were puffy and there was a deep emotion across them that made Negan question himself on how to handle this. 

As Negan starred at her, his stern expression he was holding slightly faded and he sighed. "So does this mean that I have to start crating you when I leave the room now if this is what I'm going to come home to?" He asked, looking down on her. Bree's eyes shifted but she still couldn't look at him. At this point, she didn't care if he beat her senseless with Lucille or locked her in one of the cells. Hell, it might even make her feel better in a twisted way, knowing that she was getting the punishment she deserved. 

Negan stepped in the room, his boots making a crunching noise as he stepped over the glass, stopping when he was directly in front of Bree. Her head hung low in shame. "Look Bree, I know this is really bad timing but I need you to pull yourself together right now and come with me, I'll explain on the way but I don't think we have much time."

Bree remained stotic and didn't move upon Negan's request, which made him frown. "Bree...Get. Up" He said with more force behind his words, hoping to jostle her to do as she was asked. She still didn't move. Negan was beginning to lose his patience.

"Bree, so help me God, if you don't get the fuck up right now I will drag your ass downstairs, I know you are going through some shit right now but we have plenty of time to deal with that later, I need to to come with me NOW" Negan said with more venom in his voice. Bree glanced up at him and slowly rose to her feet. She was not up to fight with him and she knew that he would carry through with his threat if she didn't do as she was told. She felt an odd submissiveness in her towards him and she got a deep sense that now was not the time to cross him. 

Negan bent down and brushed the glass off of her legs and then grabbed a pair of pants that he brought her and chucked them in her direction. "Here, put those on, and these" He said as he dropped a pair of flats at her feet. Bree slipped into both articles and followed Negan out the door without another word. 

He took quick long strides and Bree lagged behind him as he hurried to get to their destination. He had a sense of urgency that made Bree get a vibe that whatever was going on was serious. Negan ended up bringing them to the infirmary and he put a hand on her shoulder and gently nudged her inside, closing the door behind them. Bree's eyes shot open as her eyes landed on the purpose of her being here. 

Laying in one of the beds was Laura, one of Negan's top Saviors, and she wasn't doing good at all. Her skin was a ghostly white, glistening from the little beads of sweat oozing out of her pores. She had dark plum circles around her eyes and her body was trembling. Dr. Carson was standing beside her, checking her vitals. He turned to face Negan and Bree, shaking his head from side to side. 

As Bree continued to stare at her through her shaken expression she asked Negan what happened to her. "We thought that we lost her when we bombed Alexandria, according to Dwight, we did, up until this morning when they found her at the gates" Negan replied in a low voice. There was a large bandage covering Laura's arm that Bree noticed, still not able to take her eyes off of her. Laura stared back through hooded eyes, weak and fragile, not able to say much. Bree slowly walked up to her, locking eyes as sympathy flooded her face. She reached up and slowly pulled the bandage back to reveal a large bloody chunk missing out of her arm. 

Bree drew in a sharp breath as she heard Negan say behind her "She got bit. She ran into a herd on her way back and managed to escape, only she wasn't so lucky". Bree noticed a change in Laura's breathing that gave her the impression that she didn't have long left. She slowly turned around to face Negan who was starring at her with a fixed expression. "I know it's a long shot but we are out of options. I need you to figure out if you can do something for her. You see, she knows something about Dwight's involvement from that night and I can't have her dying on me before she is able to spill the beans. Plus she's one of my higher rankings and I'm running outta people to trust these days."

Bree looked back at Laura whose eyes were now fully closed. "What do you want me to do?" Bree asked, afraid to find out. Negan stared at her for a moment as if he were pondering the right words to say. He then straightened up and looked at her seriously and said "I think you know what I want you to do."

Bree blinked her eyes and looked back at Laura in concentration. Malaki said that she had the supposed 'cure' running through her veins...Could it really have been true? Could this cursed virus that he injected in her heart really be the start of finding the key to save the human race? There was only one way to find out. 

Bree took a deep breath and nodded. "Give me your knife" She asked Negan bluntly, still facing Laura. Bree heard Negan dig in his pocket and flick his knife open. Out of her peripheral she saw him hand it to her and she took it from him. Giving Laura one last look she thought 'well here goes nothing', and she opened her hand up, wincing as she sliced a line down her palm. Blood started to seep in and Dr. Carson made a face. Bree looked back and forth from Laura to her hand, gave a little shrug and squeezed her blood into the wound on Laura's shoulder, gently rubbing it in.

She had absolutely no clue what she was doing here. Malaki gave her no clues as to how this cure would work and Bree figured that is if was in her blood, then her blood must be the answer. She was hoping that the combination of the werewolf toxin mixed with the virus of the dead would be enough to revive Laura and that was all there really was to it. Bree squeezed her palm to leak out more of her blood as she looked at Laura. She stirred a bit but didn't fully open her eyes to Bree's so called treatment and Bree cringed at what she was about to do next. "OK Laura...This is going to be gross and weird but I don't want to leave any stones unturned here" She said as she hovered over Laura. 

Bree hesitated for a moment and Negan watched with intriguement. He was thinking about what this would all mean if it actually worked like he hoped. Bree held her bloody palm up to Laura's mouth and gently pried her lips apart using her other hand. She moved her wrist slightly above Laura's head and slowly turned her wrist, letting her blood trickle into Laura's mouth. 

Laura's eyes snapped open at the metallic taste that invaded her tongue and she tried to back away from Bree's hand but Negan came up behind her and held her head in place, which wasn't hard to do giving her weakened state. Finally Bree pulled away and Laura started to cough as Bree turned away to be met by Carson waiting with a bandage. Negan looked back and forth between Bree and Laura, unsure of what to make of the whole thing. "I gotta go check up on a few things but I want you to stay with her, see if there is any change. If there is, wonderful...If not, you know what to do" Negan said grimly. 

Bree nodded her head, keeping her eyes fixed on his chest, still unable to look him in the face. She didn't know quite how she felt about what she just had to do but she understood that it was her responsibility to at least give it a try. Negan reached out and cupped Bree's cheek, guiding her face up to look at him. Slowly her eyes followed. "I know that I just delivered a rough blow to you but I want to let you know I appreciate what you just did for Laura over there...Whatever it is you want, let me know."

Bree stared at him in silence for a moment with a blank expression. "Don't thank me yet" She said in a voice barely above a whisper. Bree could feel Negan's body stiffen as his hand still remained on her face. The air was tense between them as they locked eyes. A small smirk slowly spread on his face as he rubbed her cheek with his thumb. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He then finally released her and turned his back, walking out of the infirmary. 

Carson looked as if he was able to breathe again after Negan left the room and Bree let out a sigh. She looked back to Laura who was still laying on the bed with her eyes closed, and she pulled up a chair to sit net to her bed. She wasn't quite sure what she was expecting to happen, or even if anything was going to happen period but Bree watched her closely to see if there were any changes. She kept Negan's knife in her hand, expecting the worst, ready to do what she had to do if it came to it. 

 

(This was a short one, I know but I want to see what the reactions are to this chapter before I continue. Sorry if this was stupid, if you are not into it, I won't put much emphasis on this 'cure' in the story. All comments are greatly appreciated!)


	35. Seize the Day!

Bree ended up dozing off in her chair next to the bed where Laura was. About an hour or so went by and Dr. Carson came in and began to check her vitals again. "Well I'll be damned" He said as he withdrew the thermometer from her mouth. He then went to go listen to her heart beat and Bree began to stir awake. Sitting up while drawing in a breath she asked "What's going on?"

Carson continued to listen to her heart and a smile slowly spread to his face. He turned to face Bree with a look of total disbelief on his face. "She's...It's..It's working! She's getting better!" He stammered out, still not sure of what to make of Laura's sudden turn around. "Wait what?" Bree asked, just as surprised as he was. "Her vital signs are almost back to normal! She's gonna be OK!" Carson said with more cheer behind his voice. 

Bree's faced lit up as the reality of what she had just accomplished sunk in. Just then they were both disrupted from their joy by a sharp knock on the door. "How's our patient doing" Negan said as he strolled in. Bree jumped up and threw her arms around him excitedly. "Negan! It worked! It worked! She's getting better! I can't believe it!" She cheered. 

Negan's face dropped into a frown, skeptical on what Bree was telling him. "It's true! Her heart rate is almost back to normal and her temperature is down four points, she's making a turn around" Carson told Negan. Negan cautiously stalked over to Laura, unsure of what to make of what they were telling him. He lifted a hand to her forehead and sure enough, it was cool. A grin slowly spread to his face. "Holy shit! Wow...Just fucking _wow_!" Negan exclaimed, nearly speechless. "I know this is amazing! Now we can cure people if they get bit! We don't have to lose anybody anymore!" Bree said excitedly. 

Negan plopped into the chair next to the bed, still staring at Laura. He had such a look of bewilderment on his face and Bree could practically see the wheels turning in his head. Before Bree could say anything, Carson asked her "Is it OK if I take a sample of your blood? I want to test it and see how it compares to regular blood and see if I am able to figure out what components hold the difference."

"Yeah sure" Bree said and she sat down and pulled her sleeve up, giving Carson access to her arm. After he drew blood from her, Laura began to wake up. "Wha...What happened? What's going on?" She asked in confusion. "There she is!" Carson said in an upbeat voice. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm OK I guess, I'm pretty thirsty, can I have some water?" She asked. Once Carson got her the water, she downed it all in one big gulf. Wiping her mouth and taking a deep breath she asked "Why do I feel better? Shouldn't I be dead by now?"

"Yes, technically you should be but Bree saved you. She has a special component in her blood that was able to cure you, it looks like you are going to be OK!"

Laura smiled in relief and shed a few tears. "Oh my God! Wow...That werewolf blood must be some crazy shit! Thankyou...Thankyou so much!" Laura said as she grabbed Bree's hand. "I owe you my life...I don't think I could thank you enough". Bree smiled and squeezed her hand. She looked back at Negan who remained watching the girls.

"Well...Now that that's settled, welcome back miss Laura...Missed having you on the team, a lot of shit has happened since you've been gone...Mind telling us how you split from us the night we bombed Alexandria? You see, I'm just a little confused here because Dwight said that you were shot and killed, but how could you be dead if you are right here in front of me in the flesh. I have a hunch that someone is not telling me the truth" Negan said, getting right down to business. Right away Laura's eyes narrowed at the mention of Dwight and she began to shake her head. 

"That double crossing little worm! We were stationed at the back gates to get any of the ones who tried to escape and they plowed right through us. Then we chased after them and he led us right into an ambush. He must have had a deal or something worked out with Alexandria because he was definitely on their side. When they were firing at us he did nothing to help and I watched him take down four or five of our guys. I drew my gun on him and told him to make them stop but he didn't listen. There were too many of them and I had to retreat...You know the rest from there. One thing is for certain, Dwight is against us. Anything he does is only for his own personal gain, he would have killed me to if I didn't draw on him first!"

Laura was clearly angry and she had every reason to be. She could have very well been dead right now because of Dwight and he had been playing them this whole time. Now Negan finally had the confirmation that he needed and he was going to make sure Dwight got what was coming to him. "Alright sweetheart, I promise you, you will get your revenge, just give me a bit to set some things up and I'll let you know when it's time...Bree, can I have a word with you outside?" Negan asked, getting up and heading to the door. 

Bree nodded her head and followed him outside the infirmary. He pulled her into one of the offices and looked up and down the hall to make sure it was clear before he closed the door. He turned to Bree and said "Alright...I have a plan set in motion that is going to happen TODAY, Now, you may not like every bit of it butttt, I still want you to go along with it anyway. You are going to have to trust me that things will work out on their own."

Bree looked at him skeptically. "OK? What's going on?" she asked cautiously. "Dwight came to me a little bit ago. He must be seriously trying to get on my good side because he told me that Simon is going to be holding a little meeting today with a handful of our so called Saviors that he won over and convinced that I am no longer fit to lead this place. This meeting is going to be taking place this afternoon and they will be discussing the best way to take me out" Negan said with a grin as if it were the most amusing thing he has heard all week. 

Bree's eyes narrowed and she had to stifle back a growl. "That asshole! I knew this was coming! Please tell me you are giving me permission to eat him!" Bree said through gritted teeth. Negan chuckled and rocked back on his heels. "You are too cute when you are angry, no, you cannot EAT him...I have something else in mind. This is the part you're not gonna like...I confronted Dwight about trying to kill you...I might have told him that you forgive him and that it's all water under the bridge...Told him that you understand that Simon was the one that gave the order and it wasn't on him". 

"YOU DID WHAT!?" Bree yelled as fury washed over her face. "Bree, Chill the fuck out, before you get your panties in a wad, I did it to let him THINK that he is golden. I want to give him that false sense of security so he don't decide that Simon is a better person to shadow and go blabbing that I'm on to him. After we take care of Simon, then I promise you we will take care of Dwight. I want Simon to be completely blind-sided as an example to remind people that I am EVERYWHERE and to make everyone think twice about double crossing me." Negan explained. 

Bree took a deep breath to try to calm herself. She heard what Negan was saying but she was so angry, it was going to be hard to be cordial towards Dwight after everything he did to her. "How could you expect that of me after he tried to KILL me!" Bree said angrily. "Just go the fuck along with it, I promise it will all pay off in the end and they will both get whats coming to them. Just stay away from Dwight and bare with me. It will all be over soon" Negan said trying to reason with her. 

Finally after a moment, Bree threw her arms up and decided to agree to listen to Negan. "Alright...So what's the plan then?" She asked, rolling her eyes. A slow grin spread to Negan's face and he said "I thought you would never ask..."

"If you're here right now, you're in. We can talk about approaches and finesses, but you are in. No take backs" Simon said as he rounded the semi-circle that was made up of the few Saviors that he was able to pull on his side. "We need to make this quick, quiet, and respectful. Man's done a lot for us, he deserves that". Simon couldn't help but feel giddy inside as he looked at all the faces who were around him. The fact that they were loyal to him over Negan gave him a shallow confirmation that he was doing the right thing. He didn't think that it would be this easy to win everyone over, he hoped that things would go this smooth when it was time for him to fully step into Negan's shoes. 

"You" Simon said, pointing at Dwight. "...Have some legitimate personal issues with the man. The kill is yours if you want it. Something quiet, I mean not a knife, he hee...Can't make it THAT personal...Maybe a silencer." He said with a smile. "We call a meeting, and that's it. The next order of business is to set the break to start the healing. The catalyzing event to facilitate that, is the destruction of the Hilltop and its residents. We'll make it a monument of compliance. And then...We get on with our lives. Right Dwight?" He said proudly, coming to stand face to face with Dwight. 

Dwight hesitated to answer and his eyes shifted back and forth. Simon caught this, unsure of what his silence was about...Until he heard the distinctive and drawn out, low two toned whistle. Simon's face dropped and he looked at Dwight as if he had just seen a ghost. He turned his head over to see where the noise was coming from and sure enough, Negan emerged from behind the nearby dumpster like a cat that was about to catch his prey. Or a wolf...

Negan switched hands with Lucille and placed an arm around Dwight's neck as if they were long time buddies. "Thank you D, I'll take it from here" Negan said in a gruff voice, giving him a slight pat on the back, not breaking eye contact with Simon. Simon had a clear frightful look on his face as if he had just got caught red handed stealing money out of his mom's purse. Negan slightly tilted his head back and narrowed his eyes at Simon. For once, there was not a trace of a smile on his face. He then began to count. 

"Three...Two...One...". The moment he said one, the sound of gun shots erupted all around them and all of Simon's men dropped to the ground in an instant with bullet holes in their heads. Simon spun around in shock and his jaw dropped when what just happened fully sank in. A crew of Saviors that Negan had arranged to be there came out from all directions with their guns drawn, all pointing at Simon. At that moment, Simon knew he was finished. 

Simon and Negan locked eyes and Negan's face slowly turned up into a smirk, unable to contain his excitement for the next surprise he was about to throw at Simon. Negan let out a sharp whistle that almost made Simon jump. He heard footsteps scuffling behind him and Simon's expression dropped as he slowly pulled from Negan's eyes to turn around. He almost wished that he hadn't because what he saw practically made him shit himself. 

There was Bree, the girl that he thought he successfully took out and left for dead. She slowly walked into the circle with a malicious look in her eyes and an evil smirk directed at Simon. She walked up to stand next to Negan, giving Simon a little wave with her fingers. Simon's eyes grew wide and Bree could hear his heart begin to hammer in his chest. Negan put an arm around Bree and dramatically looked back and forth between her and Simon with a smile, eating up the tension that Simon was feeling right now. 

As Simon's eyes stayed locked on Bree, his breathing began to pick up and he charged at Dwight, only to be caught and roughly held back by the Saviors that were scattered around them. Negan let out a chuckle and pulled Bree in closer to him to back out of the way. "Now there is the Simon that I know. He comes right at you instead of that backstabby bullshit...I thought you would be jumping for fucking joy right now! No? I found Bree! That should make you happy right? You seemed so upset that you had to leave her for dead, I thought her being here would make you feel better. Ease up some of that guilt you been feelin'" Negan said, releasing Bree and moving to walk past him.

Bree tilted her head down and began to glare at him through her eye brows. Her smirk never left her face and she was giving Simon a look of pure evil as she replayed everything that he had done to her in her head. She then snapped her jaws three times, her teeth making a clicking sound, giving him the impression of what she wanted to do to him. Simon nervously looked away from her and trained his expression on Dwight. 

"Why? Why do this? After everything he did to you, huh? Why do this?" Simon said through strain and gritted teeth. Dwight looked up at him with a blank expression and said "He'd win". Every so often, Bree would catch Dwight's eyes and she would stare at him through a vexed expression. Still not fully believing Negan 100% about her not being angry at him, he tried to keep himself from looking at her. 

As Simon continued to glare daggers at Dwight, Negan stared at Simon with a smile, knowing he had him right where he wanted him. "You killed all the garbage people Simon" Negan said matter of factly and then he went around to each body, smashing their heads in to make sure they wouldn't come back. "After I specifically told you not to do that shit...You lied about Bree, left her for dead. If she wasn't such a damn survivor I wouldn't have even known."

Negan smashed another head in and then signaled the Saviors that were holding Simon back to turn him around to face him. Simon's face was as red as a baboons ass and veins were bulging out of his neck and forehead. "But, after all this and me being me...I'm still going to give you your shot...See little ol' Bree here, the girl that you tried to kill, gave me an idea. You see, she told me that in 'Werewolf hierarchy'" Negan began, using finger quotes. "When a so called alpha wants to move in and thinks they have just enough of a sack to take over, they duel it out with the current alpha. Whoever wins is the new alpha...I _**like**_ that" Negan said raising his eye brows. "Now, I could just put a bullet in you right here, right now. Right between those beady eyes of yours...But naww...I think it would be more constructive as well as a fantastic fucking example for everyone to see me kill you with my bare hands. I mean any leader could just fire away, taking your ass out an calling it a day but not me. I'm gonna show MY people that I am the kind of leader to do things the right way, _myself_ ".

Negan stepped forward so he was practically nose to nose with Simon, showing no fear. "So...With that said...You wanna _be_ the man, you got to _beat_ the man...If you can do that, then hell...You should be the man."


	36. Lamented and Assured

Bree was on pins and needles and her body was riddled with anxiety. She was standing at the edge of a circle in the middle of the Sanctuary as all of its members gathered around to see who would become the victor of the fight that was going to take place. Prior before Negan confronted Simon, Negan was softly asking Bree for advice by having her tell him how Were's ran things in their pack and what Jeremy would do if he was in his current predicament. Not fully realizing what he was asking, Bree told him how alpha's battle it out when a pack member feels that it is their time to lead. She told him that was how Jeremy became pack leader with his opponent being Malcolm. 

Had she known that Negan was going to use the ways of her people as a solution to deal with Simon, she would have kept her mouth shut. She wanted Simon dead and she wanted him to suffer for everything that he did, but not if Negan's life was on the line. She knew Negan was tough and he was bigger than Simon but she wasn't 100% sure that he would win. There was so much that could go wrong, and as much as Bree tried to express this to Negan, he wouldn't listen. He was a man of his image and he wanted everybody to see him beat Simon with his bare hands to make them think twice if they ever thought about crossing him in the future. 

Of course Bree protested, not wanting to see Negan get hurt when there was a much simpler solution on the table. Negan made Bree promise not to intervene if things didn't go his way. He told her that he would rather die at Simon's hands then have to face the shame of her rescuing him in a fight. He said that would destroy the moral he was trying to teach and that no one would respect him after if he didn't give Simon a fair chance. He didn't even want her there in the first place, but Bree convinced him it would be best if she was, just in case anyone else tried to jump in. Bree understood what he was saying , agreeing that she would back off and literally let him fight his own battles, as hard as it may be.

She did however, fail to mention that if Simon should win that she would kill him right there and then with _her_ bare hands by ripping his head from his body, with no remorse. She was praying that it wouldn't come down to that though because that would then mean that she was the new leader of the Sanctuary which she had no desire to be. She was never fit to be a leader, she was only omega and lacked the genes. 

Now the moment was here. She stood, two steps behind Negan as he and Simon awkwardly had a stare off before their epic battle. The area they were in was filled with everyone in the compound and yet it was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Everyone's eyes were on them and the tension in the air was so thick it was almost suffocating. Finally Simon spoke. 

"Everyone...After this is done, we get to work" He said, taking off his jacket. Bree rolled her eyes and continued to listen to his bullshit. "Just know that I didn't want this. But the Sanctuary must stand" Simon continued as he rolled up his sleeves. He began to walk towards Negan, who stood there as calm and collected as ever. Bree wondered just what was going through his head to make him appear so reserved.

As Simon stepped closer, Negan held Lucille in one hand and passed her backwards towards Bree, without turning around or breaking eye contact with Simon, knowing she was there to grab her. Bree took Lucille from him and held the heavy bat with both hands with little confidence. Simon went on with his rant and for a moment Bree thought it was funny that for once, Negan was not the one who wouldn't shut up. 

"This is not the man to prosecute this conflict. Just wanted to say...A grateful enclave-UNH!"

Before Negan could react, Simon wailed him with a cheap shot right across the face. "Thanks you!"

The fight had begun. Bree bared her teeth and watched as hard as it was, not realizing that she was growling. Negan attempted to get up, only for Simon to knock him back down again with another punch to the face. He bent down and ripped him up by his leather jacket and hit him again. Bree was surprised. For as scrawny as Simon appeared, he sure could pack a punch. 

Negan used the momentum from Simon's his to get some distance from him and to get his bearings. Simon then lunged at Negan, attempting to tackle him and Negan used this as his shot to jam his elbow down into Simon's shoulder. No one spoke or cheered as the fight took place. The only noises that were heard were the guttural battle sounds coming from the men in front of them. Everyone just watched through wide and eager eyes, awaiting the results to see if there was going to be a change in leadership. 

Simon jumped up with a hearty grunt and charged in attempt to strangle Negan. While Negan wrapped his hands around Simon's wrists to prevent them from being wrapped around his neck, Simon pulled back a hand and knocked Negan straight in the temple. Bree was panting heavily as she watched. Simon was getting the upper hand and she was panicking that this was going to be it for Negan.

It took every ounce of willpower to not jump in and help him. This was the first time since she met Negan that she wasn't able to protect him and she was afraid that she was going to be forced to watch him get beaten to death over the promise she made him.

Bree cringed as Simon continued to land blow after blow. For a brief moment, her an Negan made eye contact and she swallowed down to urge to cry and gave him a confident nod as a little gesture of reassurance. Simon tried to swing at him again and Negan managed to duck this time. Simon went to go grab him by the collar of his jacket but Negan dodged his hand so Simon didn't have as good of a grip on him. Negan grabbed his arm and with all the force he had, he flung him in the other direction, causing Simon to lose his balance. Negan gave him no time to recover and he was on top of him again, landing multiple blows to Simon's face. 

Simon tried to hit him with an over head swing, stupidly leaving himself wide open and gave Negan the opportunity to punch him square in the gut. Simon doubled over and backed away for a moment, giving Negan time to catch his breath. Simon ran at Negan in attempt to strangle him again and Negan caught his hands and began to push back. They were pushing and pulling each other for a while, each trying to get the upper hand. All the sudden Simon straightened up his posture to gain more momentum and Negan cocked his head back and jerked it forward, head-butting Simon in the nose.

Simon pulled back in a daze and Negan used his disorientation to his advantage. Negan grabbed him by the shoulders and used the roughness of his boot to kick the back of Simon's knee. Once Simon's feet were out from underneath him, Negan picked him up and slammed him into the ground with force. Simon's skull bounced off the ground and Bree knew that his adrenaline wasn't enough to prevent him from feeling that by the way he rolled into the fetal position. 

His arms came over his face to protect himself and Negan began to stomp his boot over his head. Bree was able to breathe again and she couldn't help but smile in relief, knowing that Negan was about to win. Negan got down and sat on top of Simon's chest, hitting him a few more times in the face to make sure he would stay down. He then wrapped his calloused hands around Simon's throat and proceeded to choke him out. 

"You went for it all at the Hilltop. You got Saviors killed, and then you ran away like a _COWARD_!" Negan growled in anger as he gradually applied pressure to Simon's throat. Simon's face turned bright red as he tried to gasp for air. "You got shown up one too many times. These people, they're always going to know that there's a loophole, a way to skate. They are always going to be looking for that chance to push back, so now I GOTTA KILL ALL OF 'EM, JUST LIKE I'M GONNA KILL YOU" Negan roared in anger. 

His face turned as red as Simon's and he proceeded to finish the job. Bree heard a distinctive crack in Simon's windpipe and she knew that it was all over. His body went limp and he was not longer trying to fight through Negan's hands for air. Simon was dead. 

Negan slowly released his hands from Simon and continued to hover over him. He was panting heavily from the rage he felt and all the members of the Sanctuary continued to stare at him in silence as the victor. Some relived, some sad that there was going to be no changes made. It didn't matter though, no one else had the balls to challenge him after what they just witnessed and that was just the message that Negan wanted to send. 

Bree swallowed as she stared at Negan through wide eyes, frozen in her spot from the shock of everything she had just witnessed. Negan slowly rose to his feet, still trying to catch his breath. He had a sorrowful look in his eyes as he looked around at everyone standing in the circle. He didn't want to kill Simon but he left him no choice. He knew he deserved it more than anyone else but he wished that it didn't have to be this way. 

His eyes finally landed on Bree's and as they looked at each other, he gave Bree the same nod that she gave him. The reassuring nod that gave him the willpower to finish what Simon had started and gave him the gusto to win. He didn't want to think what would have happened to Bree had he not beat Simon. He knew Simon never liked her, being what she was and the fact that she was the one who sent his plans crashing down, he knew that given the opportunity he would either torture her or kill her. 

Negan sighed and looked away as small smile crept on Bree's lips. "What an asshole" Negan muttered through a gruff voice. He went to go walk towards Bree but slightly stumbled from exhaustion, still winded from the beating he gave and received. As much as he didn't want to admit it, that fight took a lot out of him and he was realizing that he was definitely not as spry as he used to be. Bree noticed his struggle and ran up to him. She put her hands on his chest and looked him in the eyes. When he looked back at her, no words needed to be said for her to understand him. 

She looked around at everyone who was still standing around, and tried to channel a loud and authoritative voice. "All right everybody, show's over! Time to clear out...Someone go and take Si...That, to the fence, everyone else, BACK TO WORK!" 

Sure enough, everyone began to clear out at her command and Bree threw Negan's arm around her shoulders to take him back up to his room to get him patched up. "Nicely done" He said through a mono-toned voice as he let her lead him upstairs. "What can I say, I learn from the best" She replied. Negan couldn't help to let out a small laugh at her response. 

Once they got upstairs, Bree put Lucille down against the door and went to go help Negan take his jacket off. He held up and hand and told her "I got it" and she let him do it himself. She had nothing but concern for him in her eyes as she took the jacket from him and draped it over the couch. She told him to go sit down as she grabbed the first aid kit. 

"Naw, I'm good, I don't need any of that" He said as he took a few steps away from her. Bree huffed and stomped her foot. "Hey, it's just you and me in here now. You don't gotta play the tough guy anymore so why don't you just shut up and let me take care of you for once."

Negan half turned around to face her and couldn't help but smile at her words. Finally he held up his hands in surrender and slowly walked backward to take a seat in one of the chairs. Bree went to go get the first aid kit and some ice from his mini fridge. Negan watched her in amusement, never taking his eyes off of her. 

Bree set out all the supplies on the kitchen table, next to where he was seated and got to work. Handing him the ice she said "Here, this will make you feel better and will help with the swelling". Negan's eyes crinkled in endearment and he said "Look at you being all motherly to me...One might think that you actually care about me."

"I do care about you" Bree fired back. "You just make it hard for me to show it". Negan pulled the corner of his mouth back at her words and she moved so she was standing between his legs and hovering over his face. She dabbed a little peroxide on a towel and began to gently dab at the cuts that littered his face and knuckles. She saw Negan tense up and she asked "Does it hurt?"

"Naw, I'll be OK...I used to get into scraps all the time growing up, this is no different" He replied, trying to shrug it off. "I understand but I'm sure you are not as young as you used to be, that was a rough beating for someone your age" Bree said as she iced his knuckles. Negan snapped his head at her and had a look like he was deeply offended. "For someone who doesn't want to hurt me, that was a low blow, a low blow indeed."

Bree pulled her eyes away from his hand and looked at him. She couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. "Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just not used to having to patch up someone who is not a shifter...Thing's are just different for us...We are not as fragile and we don't exactly age like normal humans do".

Negan cocked an eye brow at her. "The hell's that suppose to mean?" He asked, being genuinely curious. Bree hesitated for a moment before she answered. "Well...I mean we are not immortal but we just age slower...Take Jeremy for example, guess how old he is?" Bree said, eagerly wanting to hear his answer. "Well I don't know...Maybe in his late 40's, early 50's?"

"Try 72...Actually 73 now" Bree replied with a giddy smile. Negan scrunched his face in confusion and then raised his eye brows in amusement. "Damn...Wait a sec...So how old are you then?" He asked mischievously. Bree smirked and said "I'll never tell."

"Well that's just not fair" Negan said cocking his head. "Hold still!" Bree ordered as she applied ointment to a cut on his forehead. Negan intently watched her face as she worked on him. She was so caring and so gentle, it actually pulled on his heart strings. 

"You know...The last time a woman has ever looked at me like that...Well...Let's just say it was a different time period". Bree's eyes traveled back to his and she slightly pursed her lips. "Would this be the same woman that you named a certain inanimate object after and that likes to quote on quote 'Smash people's head's in?'" She said,mimicking Negan. 

Negan snickered at her response and slowly nodded his head at her. "You know, Lucille...The real Lucille...She would have loved to meet you. She was a big fan of anything supernatural. She used to love reading these books that were all about ghost's and vampires and..." He hesitated. "Werewolves?" Bree said, finishing his sentence as if she were unbothered. "Yeah...She used to dress up every Halloween as the character from whatever book she was reading and pass out candy. Would sometimes make me dress up too though half the time I had no clue who I was and I don't think the kids knew either, but it made her happy."

Negan held a distant sadness in his eyes as he talked about her and Bree figured it was now or never. She had a question that she had been itching to ask him ever since she fist met him. "What happened to her?"

Negan drew in a sharp breath and didn't answer at first. Bree gave him a moment, knowing that she practically threw a curve ball at him. "She had stage four breast cancer. She typically avoided doctors the best she could and when they found it, it was too late. She died right when the world changed and I was such an asshole, that was the only time I was really there for her during her whole sickness."

Bree stayed quiet for a moment as she processed his words and let him recover from them. "Sometimes when people get sick...It brings out our worst fears and the only way we know how to deal with them is to run away, no matter how wrong it is." Bree said, trying to be consoling. She didn't realize it in that moment but she was actually drawing from her own experience. "No...Not in this case...I'm sure the devil has a special seat in hell for me for the things I did to that poor woman, aside from everything else....And I deserve it" he said grimly, looking away. 

The reaction Negan had from talking about his wife pulled at Bree's heart. Sure he had done some awful things, but she and Negan grew to have a respectful understanding of one another, enough for her to have sympathy towards him. This was the first time he had ever showed her his spots and that meant something to her because she was sure it was something that not just anyone got to see. She gently put a hand up to his cheek and guided his face up to meet hers. 

"I know you are no saint...You have done things, hell, we have all done things in this world to get us where we are today, _alive_. I don't judge you. I have done horrible things myself that I haven't quite yet figured out how to deal with but I'm trying. But you...Unlike everyone else who I care about, you are the only one who has remained a constant. You have ever since I met you, no matter how bizarre my life is, how crazy I get and for that I thank you. I thank you dearly. I don't care what you have done in the past. That is not the person who I see sitting before me. I see a man who I trust with every fiber of my being and a man who has had every reason to abandon me, just like my family did, butyou still choose to stick by me. You have no idea how much that means after everything I lost."

Negan and Bree continued to lock eyes, reading the sincerity in each other's expressions. Bree slowly dropped her hand from Negan's face as her eyes began to water. She sucked in a deep breath of air and turned away to head to the bathroom to give herself a moment. She was inches away from losing control and breaking down into tears from laying out her feelings for Negan to see. She didn't want to make him feel obligated to answer her back so she figured she would hide in the bathroom for a bit and then come back out so she could finish helping him and they could act like this never happened. 

As Bree turned away and took a step away from him, Negan caught her hand. Bree stopped and looked at the entrance of the bathroom, hesitating to turn back and look at him. When she did, they locked eyes for a moment, almost as if they were reading each other's mind. Negan didn't have to say any words because his actions said it all. He gently pulled her back to him and cupped a hand around her face, bringing her closer. He looked her in the eyes one final time and then fixed his gaze on her lips. 

As if Bree knew what he wanted, she gave him the OK and leaned in. He slightly tilted his head and with one final tug, he kissed her, and she let him. 

 

(Wowza, I feel like a lot happened in this chapter! For the next few chapters, I want to take a little break from canon and focus more on Negan and Bree. We are kinda getting to the end of this story so I wanna draw it out a bit and build the Bregan relationship! Oh and if anyone had a problem with some SMUT, Speak now or forever hold your peace because I'm thinking that I'm going to introduce that in the next one. Please leave me some comments for whoever is still reading, I REALLY REALLY want some feedback on how I'm doing and your thoughts on where the story is going. Not gonna lie, I'm thirsty for some comments, haven't been getting much lately and its very discouraging.)


	37. You Were the Song All Along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! This chapter is 100% smut, if you are not into it then you can skip to the next chapter without missing anything, other than they had sex lol enjoy!

The moment Negan touched his lips to Bree's, she shivered as an electric tingling sensation ran all throughout her body. Her heart began to hammer in her chest and her hands were shaky. She just kinda stood there in surprise that their conversation had led to this.

Negan softly grabbed her hands and guided them up to be around his neck and he wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer into him. With the rush of feelings she got from this contact, it felt like she was doing all this all over again for the first time and it was hard for her to move, let alone breathe. 

Negan slowly pulled away to look at her and Bree took a shaky breath and looked down at his chest. "You good?" He asked sincerely, making sure he wasn't pushing her into doing something she wasn't 100% about. Bree's eyes slowly trailed back up to his and he gave her a tender smile that made her want to melt. She slowly returned the smile, feeling more comfortable and she gave him a nod. Negan pulled her back to him and kissed her again, this time deepening the kiss and lightly sucking in her lower lip. As if Bree could read his mind, she slightly parted her lips and pressed her body more into his, allowing his tongue access to explore hers. All his touches were gentle but firm and as they kissed, Bree could feel her body responding to him in ways that she hadn't felt in a long time. 

Without breaking contact, Negan stood up, snaking his hand around the back of her knee and lifting it up so she was half straddling him. Bree's arms tightened into a firmer grip around his neck and she hopped up into his arms, with both her legs wrapped around his mid section. In that moment, they both didn't realize just how bad they wanted each other.

Negan carried her over to the bed as their lips danced and when he got to the edge, they broke away and he gently laid her out on her back before him. He straightened up and towered over her, just staring at her as if her were admiring her. Bree looked back at him and smiled as she reached out a hand to him. "Are you sure _you_ want to do this?" She asked, giving him a smirk. "Oh baby" Negan breathed. "I've been wanting to do this since the first night I saw you change".

With that, Negan grabbed her by the ankle and ripped her down the bed so she was now closer to him. Bree let out a giggle and he leaned down to kiss her some more. Bree ran her hands through his hair and over his cheeks, loving the feel of him. He was warm and his smell was so intoxicating. Being what she was, she could smell him getting more and more aroused with each kiss and it was turning her on in ways she never imagined. Him taking his time wasn't exactly helping either. 

Bree was trying her hardest to hold back, fearing that she would hurt Negan. She knew that he was still sore from the fight with Simon and being a werewolf, she could get rougher than the girls that Negan was probably used to. Eventually, if they kept this up she would let go, but for now she was going to have to take a back seat and let him lead. 

Negan let his hands trail down Bree's sides and he grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head so she was now topless. He arched his back and started to kiss a line down her stomach, his scratchy stubble tickling her flesh and making it pucker. He unhooked her bra and slid it off of her arms, tossing it to the side. He grouped and massaged her breasts, making her moan and then he placed feather-like kisses all over them, drawing out his movements. 

Bree moaned from the sensations and she clawed at his shirt, ripping it over his head and off his body. For the first time, she got to admire his body and even though he wasn't shaped like a Hollister model like Nick, he still had a lot going for him. His skin was like brown sugar, tan and sweet. His muscles were toned and Bree couldn't help but run her hands over their definition. His chest was broad and dusted with dark hair that led all the way down past his belly button to the seam of his pants. He was perfect and Bree bit her bottom lip, wanting him more than anything. 

Bree pulled his body closer to hers, splaying her hands across his chest, just enjoying the feeling of his skin. While leaning into him for another kiss, she brushed her chest against his and felt her nipples harden from the sudden warmth that was coming off of him. Everything about him felt so good and so right, she felt like she was going to explode if he didn't take her soon. 

He was really taking his time admiring her body the way she was admiring his. Granted he couldn't smell the pheromones that she smelled on him, but from what he could make out, she smelled amazing. Even though he had seen her naked more times than he could count, to be able to touch her and feel her the way he wanted was something special to him. It was true that he had wanted her for quite some time, in the beginning he thought by giving her the title of a wife would speed up the process but she was a girl that needed to be ready on her own terms, and he respected that about her. Waiting for so long made the end prize taste so much sweeter, it actually made him happy that she wasn't as easy as the others. 

Bree couldn't take his teasing anymore. The light touching and the soft, sweet kisses were good but she needed more! All the sudden, she hooked one of her legs around his and and one swift and surprising movement, she flipped him so she was on top. Negan blinked a few times in surprise and her kisses went from soft and sensual to rough and demanding. Bree grabbed his hands and placed them over his head together and held them there with one hand. She leaned down and took his nipple in between her teeth and used her other hand to start undoing his pants. 

Negan went to pull his hands out of her grasp and was astonished at how strong her grip was. He literally had no choice but to lay there and let her do as she pleased. He looked down at her with a smirk, not used to being the one who was _dominated_. Once Bree got his pants undone, she slid her hand down his torso and palmed his erection, rubbing it with a firm hand which made Negan throw his head back with a deep moan. She moved back up to his neck and released his hands, letting him wrap his arms around her body and she began to nip and suck at his neck and the edges of his ear, while still stroking her palm up and down his crotch and grinding her hips into him. 

As Bree got more turned on, her nibbles turned into hard bites and her movements were growing more and more aggressive as she began to lose control to her animalistic side.

"AH" Negan finally hissed when he couldn't take anymore, slightly pulling away. Bree drew back as if his wince snapped her out of her frenzy. "Oooh...Sorry, Are you OK?" She asked with genuine concern in her eyes. "Yeah...I'm fine...I never thought I would ever have to say this to anyone who wasn't me but as hott as this is, I think you need to tone it down, just a little. I'm still pretty fucking sore from earlier" Negan said. 

Bree sat up so she was now straddling his lap. "Sorry...I guess this is the first time I've ever done this with anyone who...Well, isn't like me, I don't really know anything else" She said, feeling sheepish. A slow smile crept to Negan's face as he looked at her. She was so adorable when she was flustered. 

"Well, how about you let me show you" He said mischievously. Before Bree could say another word, Negan grabbed her by the arms and flipped her so he was back on top and she was laying down underneath him. Bree let out a squeal as he went right in for her neck, He reached down in between them and yanked off her pants with her under ware so she was now bare underneath him. 

His hand trailed between her thighs and he gave her a light pat, giving her the signal to spread her legs. Bree hesitated for a moment but was happy when she finally opened herself up for him. He cupped her sex and massaged it for a bit so she could get the feel of his hands and then using two fingers, he parted the lips to her entrance. 

Bree moaned wildly as he began to work on her, rubbing his thumb over her clit and sliding his fingers down to penetrate her into her core. Bree panted as she felt hot and bothered, wanting more than he was giving her. "Negan" She keened before she clamped her teeth into his shoulder. "Easy there sweetheart, I wanna make sure this is just as good for you as it's gonna be for me" He said, continuing to tease her. He could feel her getting wet and he knew she would be ready soon. 

Bree wrapped her legs around him and writhed underneath him, trying to get as much friction as she could. He was making her so aroused, she could barely see straight and it was driving her crazy. "Are we almost there?" She asked him between breaths, impatiently. "Almost there" Negan said, now only focusing on her clit as he rubbed it fast and hard. Just when Bree was seeing stars, Negan lifted himself up off of her and pulled down his pants so he was now fully naked along with her. 

Bree's eyes were round and wild as they trailed over him, soaking in every detail. He wasn't quite as long as Nick, but he wasn't too far off and she had to admit that he had way more girth. She eagerly separated her legs and scooted further down towards him. Negan chuckled as he watched her and he reached into his nightstand drawer to pull out a condom. Bree moaned as if she were in agony as he took his time putting it on. He smirked at her and then eased himself back on top of her. 

Bree bucked her hips into him again and Negan gently whispered "Shhh, hold still baby...Were right there, just relax. I got you." as he held a warm hand on her mid section. Bree huffed and laid back, trying to relax and let him position himself into her. Negan reached down again between them and gave her a good rub before he lined himself up with her entrance. Making eye contact with her one last time, she gave him a nod and in one smooth motion, he entered her. Bree gasped from the sudden intrusion and she felt her inner walls contract and spasm around him, trying to make room. Negan let out a deep breath and said "Holy fuck! You're so tight!"

Bree moaned at his statement and he began a slow and steady pace, rocking his hips in and out of her. Bree's toes curled as she finally got what she wanted and she made all kinds of sounds underneath him. Every so often he would jerk his hips harder into her, giving her a jolt to make sure she stayed with him and didn't get lost in her ecstasy . She kept feeling herself involuntarily tighten around him, milking him to create more friction. 

Negan picked up the pace and started to slam his hips into her, holding it for a second to feel her gripping him. Bree's hands were all over him as he fucked her. She ran her hands through his hair and down his back, leaving claw marks but they were both so aroused and so caught up in each other to care. Bree could feel her wetness dripping down her thighs. He was no wolf, but he sure fucked like one. 

As much as Negan didn't like to compare, he couldn't help but feel that she was the most intense person that he had ever had sex with. He didn't have to worry about holding back, knowing that he could never hurt her. She could take all his rough ways and even dish it back out to him twice as hard. It was nice to be able to let go and not have to worry about the repercussions. 

After a while, Negan pulled out from her and used his hands to guide her into a new position. He made her flip over on her stomach and then he roped an arm around her waist, bringing her hips up from the bed so she was on all fours. He used his knees to nudge her thighs apart and when he had a good hold of her hips in both hands, he slammed her down onto his member, and instantly went into pounding her from behind without hesitation. Both Bree and Negan were full of moans and and the sounds of their bodies hitting with such force echoed around them. 

Negan reached over her while still grinding his hips into hers and pulled all of the hair that was cascading around her face into one hand and pulled her upright so she was balancing on her elbows. He held her there the whole time as she arched her back and pressed into him, allowing him to get as deep as he possibly could. The air in the room turned musky from the combination of arousal and sweat and Bree couldn't get enough of him. 

She slowly felt a familiar pressure building in her lower stomach and she knew that she was getting to the beginning of her end. As enjoyable as this position was, it was not the way that that she wanted to go, being it was her first time with Negan. She continued to let him mount her from behind and when she felt herself getting closer than she was, she rose to her knees. Negan's shaft remained inside her and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him as her knees began to buckle underneath her. 

"Negan...I..I'm getting closer" Bree stammered out, not wanting to stop. Negan's hands grouped her breasts and he squeezed her nipples, digging his teeth into her shoulder with a grunt. She could feel the coolness of his sweat as her body was pressed up fully against his. Finally, using all her strength and will power, she pulled away from him and nudged him to lay on the bed facing up. His eyes were fiery with lust and he gazed up at her as she lifted a leg to straddle him. He scooted back on the bed so he was sitting upright, looking into her eyes as she lowered herself onto him, gasping as he fully sunk into her. 

Bree dipped her forehead into his and began to slowly and deeply rock back and forth, making sure she was feeling every ounce he had to offer. Her pace was much slower this time, more sensual instead of needy, and it was full of passion. She placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself and Negan's hands traveled from her waist to her back, giving her rhythmic touches of encouragement. 

She rode him slow, yet hard at the same time, digging her hips deep into him and using her inner muscles to clench around him. Negan could feel her gripping him as he felt his own orgasm building right along with hers. Bree pulled back and looked into his eyes, loving the caring and soft look his was giving her. She slid a hand from the top of his shoulder and placed it against his cheek, pulling his face closer to hers. Negan could tell by the way she was breathing that she was right on the edge of her release and she was fighting it. She wanted this to last as long as she could make it. 

He grabbed her face with both of his hands so she couldn't look anywhere else but at him. Looking her in the eyes, he breathed out "Come for me baby, it's OK, just come for me, I'm right there with you, come for me."

His words were enough to send her over the edge. Bree rocked into him one final time and cried out as her orgasm exploded through her, sending shock waves of pleasure all throughout her body. Negan could feel her tightening and spasming, she tried to throw her head back from all her pleasure but Negan kept a firm grip on the back of her head so she couldn't. He wanted to see every emotion that played on her face their first time together as she came. She whimpered as her face contorted and she completely lost her breath. 

The look on her face was so sexy, Negan came right after she did. He held her down on his lap as he stiffened and shuddered from his own release. Finally Bree caught her breath and she remained sitting on top of Negan as they both panted heavily. They both smiled at each other and she touched her forehead back to his, their hands still on the side of each others faces. "Wow" was all Negan could breathe out. 

"Yeah...Wow" Bree replied, unable to wipe the smile off of her face. She kissed him on the lips one more time before she removed herself from his lap, spreading out on the bed next to him. Both of their hearts were still pounding and Negan made a move to get up and head to the bathroom.

Bree turned over on her side, admiring his view from behind as he walked to the door. She heard the water running and a few moments later he came out with a wet washcloth. He stopped at the edge of the bed and crooked a finger at her, telling her to come here. Bree slid over towards him and he separated her legs and cleaned her arousal off of her. Bree watched him as he worked, carefully running the cloth over her most intimate crevices, cleaning off every drop of her orgasm. 

When he was done he threw the cloth in the laundry basket and then crawled into bed next to her. Bree turned on her side to let him spoon her and she felt him wrap his arms around her, holding her against him so she couldn't go anywhere, not that she minded. Bree let out a happy sigh as she felt him nuzzle her neck. She didn't want to say anything to ruin the moment so she just stayed quiet and enjoyed his presence. Negan must have felt the same because for once, he didn't say anything either. Every so often he would lean in and kiss her neck or he cheek and they eventually dozed off. 

As Bree fell asleep, she wondered what tomorrow would bring and what it would mean for the next step in their relationship.

(Just wanted to throw this out there, I've been thinking about making another, I guess side book to this one that is full of one shots. These one shots will be mostly fluff, more like whats going on behind the scenes and downtime when we are not focusing on the main story. If there is anything that you guys want me to write or focus on let me know, I want to be able to use this said book to take prompts from you guys if you have a certain scene or idea that you want to see acted out, don't be shy! It can be from my prequel to this one as well, This Animal I am Becoming)


	38. The Morning After

Bree gradually awoke early the next morning, feeling comfy and snuggled in the blankets of Negan's bed. She was so relaxed and warm, she didn't want to move but her bladder had other plans for her. She was laying on her stomach and she made a move to crawl out of bed as much as she didn't want to, but felt some resistance. 

Negan was pretty much laying on top of her, his big and bulky frame pinning her where she was. He had an arm locked around her waist and one of his legs were sandwiched between hers, his thigh practically nestled in A-pex of her thighs. His face was nuzzled into her neck and the warm breath from his gentle snores was tickling her. They were tangled up in their own skin. 

One of her arms were fully pressed against him and completely immobile while she used the other one in attempt to claw her way out from underneath him. This resulted in him tightening his grip around her more and pulling him further into him, now winding his leg around hers, making Bree squeal. She had no choice, she was going to have to wake him up. 

"Negan" Bree whispered, trying to get his attention only he didn't hear her. Bree huffed and whispered his name again, a bit louder this time while patting his arm with her free hand. "I gotta pee" She said through strain. He tightened his grip on her again and buried his face further into her, with a low grunt, still not letting go. "Negan, let me up" Bree said with more force this time.

Negan drew in a deep breath and rolled his body into her so he was fully pinning her into the mattress. He was still asleep from what Bree could make out by the sound of his breathing and she felt his limbs gradually tightening around hers. Bree rolled her eyes and attempted to wiggle out of his grip. 

All the sudden Bree felt his fingers dig into her waist and he slid his leg all the way across hers and then started to grind his hips hard into her backside. "Are you...Are you humping my leg?" Bree exclaimed, still not fully sure if he was awake or not. Sure enough he started to laugh in her ear. Bree couldn't help but laugh too and she covered her face with her hand. "Ahh get off of me!" She said playfully, giving him a little smack as Negan released her, still chuckling. 

"Mornin' baby" He said in a rich deep voice that would have made Bree's panties drop, if she were wearing any. "Mornin'" She replied back as she slid off the bed and padded over to the bathroom. The chill in the air made her skin pucker and she wanted nothing more than to crawl back to the warm blankets, next to Negan. 

Negan let out a deep, lion-like yawn and stretched. "You comin' back to bed?" He asked her while she was in the bathroom. "Uh yeah" She replied back like it was the most obvious answer in the world. Negan let out another chuckle and rolled over on his back, waiting for Bree. When Bree finished her business, she hurried back into the bed as the morning chill chased her. Negan already had lifted the covers for her so she could slide in back to him with ease. 

She curled up next to him and draped a leg over his with a hand on his broad chest. Once she got situated she laid her head on his shoulder and she could feel him watching her. "Can I help you?" She asked without turning her head to look at him. "Aw sweetie, that's a question you should never ask a dirty man with morning wood" He growled in her ear. He growled again as he moved himself on top of her and which threw Bree in a fit of giggles. 

Negan kissed her and licked her bottom lip as he moved a hand in between them to stroke through her folds. With that, Bree's eyes jolted open and she wrapped her legs around him. He moved his head so he was now biting her neck as he fingered her awake. Bree moaned and ran her fingers through his hair, fully awake now. There was just something about him that she couldn't get enough of, human or not. 

Once Negan felt that she was wet enough to his standards, he separated her legs off of him so he could line himself up with entrance. He glided inside with ease as a strangled moan escaped her lips. He began thrusting in and out of her and this time she let him have full control. "Mmmm, I could get used to this" Negan stammered out between pumps.

Bree was too caught up in the moment to answer. As she let him have his way with her she quickly felt herself getting closer to her release. It had been so long since she had waken up to morning sex that she forgot how nice it felt. Negan's thrusts became rougher and more demanding and in a matter of minutes, Bree arched her back and yelled, climaxing hard on his dick. Negan continued to fuck her through her orgasm until her fluttering ceased and she stilled with a satisfying smile on her lips. 

He then picked up the pace again and dug his fingers into her, now tending to his own release. Bree couldn't help the noises that were coming from her mouth as he rammed into her, still sensitive down there from the orgasm he just gave her. After a few moments, Negan pulled out and came all over her thighs with a low moan. 

They were both panting and sweaty as Negan rolled off of her on his back. "Whew!" Negan breathed out, practically out of breath. "Mmmm...Not bad for round two" Bree said with a smirk. Negan cocked an eyebrow at her. "Not bad? You serious?" He said, turning his head to look at her. Bree stayed silent with a mischievous smile on her face and Negan muttered "I'll show you not bad". Before Bree could process what he meant, he rolled back over to her and started tickling her, sending her into a fit of giggles. 

Bree could have easily kicked him off of her but she was having fun showing him her flirty side that she had been repressing for so long so she just went with it. Finally he let up off of her and removed the covers from him, getting out of the bed. Bree rolled over to the edge, still wrapped up in the blankets and watched him get ready with her face propped up in her hands. "No shower?" She asked, feeling disappointed as she watched him go right for his clothes. 

"Naw, no time. Now that Simon's gone I gotta get down stairs to make sure they don't screw up the point distribution, besides, I'm good with smelling like Bree sex" He said, grabbing his pants. Bree couldn't help but roll her eyes and stifle a laugh. "Gross...Anything I could help with?" Bree asked, kinda sad that he was leaving so soon. "Nah...I got this. Keno will be there to help me. You just relax and take it easy...I'm sure you will need some time to recover from last night" He sassed, giving her a wink. 

Bree looked at him as if she were offended. He was sitting in a chair now, getting ready to put on his boots and Bree got up out of bed and stood right in front of him, just like she did the night before, only this time she was completely naked. "Hey now, this is what got us into trouble last night" He said with a smirk, unable to resist the urge to wrap his hands around her. Bree giggled and said in her most seductive voice "Need I remind you, I'm a wolf baby, I got stamina that even scientists can't wrap their heads around, you let me know when you're ready and I'll show you". 

Negan drew his head back and let out a playful growl. "You're killin' me doll, as delicious as that sounds, I'm gonna have to take a rain check for later" He said moving in to snag one of her breasts through his teeth. "Aww OK, can't damn me for trying" She said with a shrug. Negan chuckled at her as he threw on his leather jacket. "I'll see you later, OK?" He said giving her one last smile. "Alright" Bree said in disappointment . She knew that he was the leader and he had things he needed to do but she still wanted more time with him.

"Wait!" Bree called out to him, right as he was getting ready to shut the door. Negan paused in the doorway and waited for her response with raised eye brows. "What are we going to do about Dwight?" She asked. Now that Simon was gone, Negan did say that Dwight was next but they hadn't gotten a chance to talk about it, giving what happened when they got back to Negan's room. Negan paused for a moment as he thought about his answer. 

"I'll take care of it" He said. Before Bree could protest, he shut the door and was on his way. 

Bree huffed in frustration and said to herself "Well that's bullshit". She had it in her mind that because of what Dwight did to her, she was going to be apart of his final confrontation. She didn't understand why Negan was so dismissive when she asked and it annoyed her. This was something that would definitely be re-visited before the day was over. She wanted to find out what Negan planned to do and she was going to find out one way or another. 

____________________________________

Bree jumped into a quick shower and after her routine she exited with a towel wrapped around her body and a towel in her hair. When she re-entered the bedroom she looked around at the clothes laying on the floor. The set that Negan had given her had been her only outfit since she had been back and they were pretty much spent. The idea of putting back on dirty clothes after he shower was repulsing her. 

"Hmm" She thought as she considered her options. The wives room was only a couple doors down from Negan's, She knew that out of everyone in the Sanctuary, they had an abundance of clothes. Surely they wouldn't have minded if she borrowed a few things. She decided to hell with it and she walked out the door. 

When she got to their room, she stood outside and knocked on the door. She was feeling antsy standing there in nothing more than a towel as she nervously looked from side to side, hoping that no one would walk by. No one answered the door so she knocked again, this time with more force. Again, no answer, so Bree tried the door. To her surprise, it opened. 

"Hello?" Bree called out, feeling weird about being so intrusive. Silence. 

Bree looked over her shoulder and stepped in, shutting the door behind her. Their make shift living room was surprisingly cleaner than she had ever seen it. Usually there were clothes and various beauty products laying around, Negan's wives weren't known to be the neatest bunch, simply because they didn't have to be. There was something about the place that felt off. 

Bree walked into the bedroom and much to her dismay, it was empty. Bree furrowed her eyes brows in confusion and when she finally put the pieces together, her mouth dropped. "Holy shit" She breathed out as she continued to look around. They were gone. 

That is what felt off to her. In the past, before she made her human self known, every time Negan would bring her in here, the place always reeked of perfumes and hairspray. It would literally smell like a whore house and because of her heightened senses, it was over kill to her. Now, standing in the middle of the room, she smelt nothing. No signs that anyone had been here for at least a few weeks. "No fucking way" Bree said as more realizations hit her. 

It had been a while since she had seen the wives anywhere and since she had been back, Negan was always with her and she never saw him go to that room, not once. Did he really get rid of them? She had no clue where they could have gone, being that she hadn't seen them prancing around the Sanctuary. This would be another thing that she would have to discuss with Negan.

Mostly everything was cleared out but as Bree looked through the draws she did find something to wear. She managed to throw together a pair of jean shorts that were slightly shorter than she wanted them to be, with a black tank top and a red flannel. She grabbed everything else that was left behind and carried it to Negan's room, still trying to figure out why Negan's wives were gone.


	39. Friend Like Me

After Bree found herself her clothes from the wifeless wives room, she went down stairs to grab some breakfast. Actually, at this hour it was more like brunch and they just barley managed to scrape together a bowl of oatmeal for her. She was lucky she even got that, usually breakfast was well over and done with by 10am and it was now almost noon. 

Bree sat down at an empty table and ate her measly breakfast as she thought about why Negan could have gotten rid of the wives. They only just slept together since last night and that judging by that room, they have been gone for at least a week, if not more.

Not that Bree was expecting for him to get rid of them on her behalf. She didn't even know what they were at this point, she was hoping that eventually they would discuss it. She knew that she cared about him and she did feel slightly possessive of him now that they made their feelings known to each other but after what happened with Nick, the thought of this being anything more than friends with benefits scared her. 

She knew what Negan was all about and how he used his wives to boost his image and ego, she didn't know if she could fully give herself to him knowing he was like that. Then again, if she went in fully aware of this, maybe she would be less likely to get hurt. 

Bottom line was, she was confused and didn't know what to do. She was seriously wishing that Elena was around because she was the best person for Bree to talk to with things like this. Bree found herself laughing at the thought of talking to Elena about her relationship with Negan. After all, he was the monster of Alexandria and Elena would probably chain her to a wall if she knew Bree slept with Negan...Maybe that should tell her something. 

Bree was in deep thought as she debated in her head about what to and she decided to just go with the flow and see where the chips fell. She was fixating on her oatmeal while trying to internally solve these problems and she didn't even notice someone approaching her. 

Bree was jerked out of her thoughts as she jumped when a wrapped muffin rolled her way across the table. Bree looked up to see Laura standing in front of her. She cocked an eye brow and looked back and forth from the muffin to Laura. 

"I saw you came in after breakfast, thought you might want something more sustenant than some old ass oatmeal" Laura said with a smile. "Uh, thanks?" Bree said, not sure what else to say. Laura's smile got bigger as she sat down at the table across from Bree. "I can't thank you enough for saving my life, it's amazing that you were able to do that...I have to ask, how did you know that your blood could cure me?" She asked before Bree could say a word.

Bree hesitated. "I didn't" She replied. Laura's expression fell. She was about to speak again but Bree cut her off. "It's a long story...Let's just say I was part of an experiment not that long ago and this was sorta a side effect". 

"Was it Malcolm?" Laura asked eagerly. Bree cringed at his name and gritted her teeth. She realized that word traveled fast around this place. "Ya" Bree said shortly. She didn't want to talk to Laura about her blood and she definitely didn't want to talk about Malcolm period. Laura got the hint but still stayed seated in front of Bree. Bree continued to eat her oatmeal as if she wasn't there.

Laura stared at her the whole time with a smile. "So what's it like being a...You know?" Laura said, saying the last part quietly like it was some huge secret. Bree looked up from her food and said "Beg your pardon?" With a skeptical look. Laura looked back and forth and said "A _werewolf_ " barely above a whisper. 

Bree looked up again, surprised that she went there. "Hmm...Never had anyone ask me that before" She replied. "I've seen you as a wolf...I gotta say, you are beautiful...I've heard some of the guys saying that you have wicked super strength!" Laura said excitedly. 

Bree didn't know how to answer. It was foolish to think that she wouldn't have this conversation soon with someone, being that her secret was out, but this was literally the first time where she had to explain herself to someone normal about what she was. She didn't feel too comfortable about it. 

"Well...I'm stronger than them but I wouldn't call it wicked, more like above average" She answered. Laura looked like she was interviewing her favorite celebirty. "Wow...That's so fucking cool! Have werewolves always been around?"

Bree sighed and put her spoon down, thinking 'Here we go'. "Yes...As far as I know" She said bluntly. 

"So your family that you had, back in Alexandria...Were they?" Laura trailed on, insinuating about her family being like her. "Yes" Bree said dismissively, only Laura didn't take the hint.

"Wow...That's sick!" Laura exclaimed. "Have you always been one?" 

Bree began to feel uncomfortable answering her questions. She fidgeted in her chair and looked down at the table. "No...I have not...My human life was stolen from me when I was young" She replied in a mono-toned voice. Laura's expression fell at Bree's words. "Oh...Wow...I'm so sorry...I didn't know. Sorry, I just never met someone like you before, when I found out I was so fascinated, I thought that werewolves only existed in books and fairy tales...I'll leave you alone" Laura said with mild disappointment. 

Bree pulled her eyes from the table to look at Laura, who was getting up out of her seat. "Wait" Bree said, feeling bad that she was so dismissive. Laura paused and looked at Bree. "Look, it's OK, I get it, I know I'm...a bit unusual and I don't blame you for being curious, it's just hard for me and talk about it with someone who is not like me. For the longest time, I wasn't aloud to talk about it at all so I still feel like I shouldn't" Bree said, giving Laura a little smile to show that she was honestly not trying to be a bitch.

"It's cool...Well we don't have to talk about...You know...We can talk about other things" Laura said, sitting back down. Bree couldn't help but smile at her words. "Well then, Ok...Let's talk about you then" Bree said, switching subjects. "Me?" Laura asked as if she didn't understand why she wanted to talk about her of all things. "Yes you, how did you come to the Sanctuary?" Bree asked, wanting to get to know her new potential friend.

"Well, Negan and Simon found me at my Dad's armory in Georgia. Me and a few guys were taking up shelter there and they came by one day to raid the place and there we were. Negan gave us the option to come back with him and work for points and from where we were sitting at the time, it sounded like a better option than what we were doing, so we did. Been here ever since and haven't regretted it once. I know Negan can be...Well Negan but the Sanctuary is safe and I never had to worry about guys attacking me with the rules he set in place." Laura explained. 

"Hmm...True...I guess we now live in a world where it's kill or be killed" Bree stated, seeing Laura's side of things. "Yeah for sure...Us girls have to stick together" Laura replied with a toothy grin. Bree smiled and before she could say anything, Laura said "You know...I don't have that many girl friends. I usually only talk to the Saviors and other than Arat, they are all guys. If you want, we could have lunch together sometime, or just hang out and shoot the shit...Only if you want to though" Laura said, looking at Bree as if she expected her to say no.

Bree's smile grew as Laura's words set in her head. "Yeah, yeah that would be cool. It's been a while since I've had a friend in general, aside from Negan, I don't really talk to anyone...I kinda forgot how nice it was."

Laura's face lit up and Bree was about to say something else but abruptly closed her mouth. Across the cafeteria, she saw Dwight in a dirty sweat suit with a mop and a bucket, cleaning the floors. Bree's eyes narrowed and Laura got scared for a moment until she looked back to see what got her attention. "Oh, yeah, _him_ " She said with absolute disgust.

Bree had to stifle back a growl as her eyes remained on Dwight. "What the hell is he doing here?" Bree asked through gritted teeth. Laura's friendly expression turned grim as she said "Negan is making him live out his days as a prisoner...Just like what he did to Daryl. He stripped his Savior title away and stuck him in janitorial, he spends his nights in a cell."

Bree growled at that and Laura tensed. Her eyes remained glued to Dwight and he caught her looking at him and quickly looked back to the floor he was mopping to avoid eye contact. "Negan wanted him to suffer" Laura tried to explain, hoping to calm Bree down. "Yeah...only it's not enough" She said, keeping her eyes on Dwight, who was now exiting the room to get as far away from Bree as he could. "I know, tell me about it...I was hoping that Negan would at least let me fuck him up a little for what he did to me". 

Once Dwight was fully out of her sight, Bree stood up from the table. "I gotta go Laura, it was nice talking to you, I'll see ya around" She said promptly as she walked around the table. She heard Laura say something but she was so fixed on what she needed to do, she didn't really hear her. Bree was off to have a little chat with Dwight, with or without Negan's approval. 

(((Sorry for the long wait and that this was such a short, shitty chapter. I have just been promoted to a big management position in the company I'm working for and things have been crazy, I haven't had the time or energy to update. I know this chapter was kinda dull but I felt that Bree deserved a friend and I feel like Laura was the best option. Next chapter will be better and I promise it will have Negan in it!)))


	40. Show Me Your Private Parts

Dwight scrambled to get out of the cafeteria the moment he laid eyes on Bree. He knew that she still had a bone to pick with him and he didn't think that the punishment Negan gave him would be enough to satisfy her, and he couldn't have been more right. Granted, he was lucky Negan decided to let him live after everything, he though for sure he would have been put on the fence just like Simon, when Negan confronted him with Laura. 

He turned down several hallways, mop and bucket still in hand, hoping that Bree would have just left him alone and let Negan take the brunt of her anger. After a few minutes of him constantly looking over his shoulder, he sighed, feeling like he was in the clear. She must have decided to confront Negan about his sentence. 

Dwight entered a supply closet and shut the door. He propped up the mop against the wall and set the bucket down in the corner. He took a look around the room and unloaded a few bottles of cleaning supplies and then reached behind one of the shelves. He retrieved a pack of cigarettes he hid in case of emergency and an old torn up picture of him and Sherri, before they met Negan and when everything was good between them. He slid down the wall, lighting up the cigarette and studied the picture. 

He missed Sherri so much. Even when she was with Negan, he missed meeting her on the staircase and having her vent to him about how her new life came to be. He knew that she was way better off out there than under Negan's thumb but he still worried about her. Maybe some day he would see her again, but with his current predicament, he didn't see that happening any time soon. Something big was going to have to change if he had any chance of that happening. Eventually he would have to work on an escape plan, but for now, it was wiser for him to lay low and let Negan think that he had given in. He wondered if Sherri still thought about him the way he was thinking about her right now. 

Dwight finished his cigarette and gave his picture one last kiss before returning it to it's hiding place. He dusted off a few ashes from his lap and opened the door to return to his cell that Negan gave him. Right when he closed the door and turned around, Bree came out of no where and grabbed him by the throat, throwing him up against the wall. 

Before Dwight could recover, she grabbed him by his dirty sweatsuit and threw him into the wall again, knocking the air out of his lungs. For a little girl, she sure was stronger than she looked. Dwight winced in pain and began to cough and Bree pinned him up against the wall by his throat. 

Getting right in his face, through crazed eyes, she said "Remember me?"

Dwight tried to respond but couldn't due to the lack of oxygen he was getting. "Oh..What was that? Sorry...I Couldn't hear you" She growled as she tightened her grip around his throat. She enjoyed watching him squirm for air and just when she thought he was going to pass out, She finally let him go. He tried to double over but she held him upright. "Bree...Bree...I-" Dwight tried to begin through ragged breaths but she cut him off. "Shut it Dwight! Negan might have been able to forgive you for what you did, but I haven't, you ugly little scarecrow! He was too kind to you after how you tried to kill me and then you just left me out there for dead, betcha never thought you woulda seen me again, did ya?" Bree asked through gritted teeth. 

Dwight leaned his head back against the wall and stared down at her. He was at her mercy now and he was trying to avoid upsetting her any further. "Bree...Listen...Simon was the one who gave me the order...Simon, he-" Dwight tried to explain but Bree cut him off again.

"Yes! Oh yes, I Know Simon gave the order, I have good ears, remember? But you were the one who carried it out. Don't sit here and try to bull shit me! You didn't have to pull the trigger...You could have missed, or hell, you could have even turned around and shot Simon after you and him discussed how you were going to leave Neagn out there but no...You chose to go along with Simon and you shot me! Twice! And left me to rot, just like you did to Negan!" 

Dwight stiffened up from her words. There was not much he could say to justify his actions so he tried to play on her heart strings. "What was I suppose to do Bree? He took Sherri away from me...He made her his wife and then rubbed it in my face every chance he got...He did this to my face" He said, turning his head to the side and showing Bree his scar. "I loved Sherri...I loved her so so much" Dwight said as tears began to well in his eyes.

"He used to make me guard the door while he fucked her" Dwight continued. "And it's because of him that she is not here anymore. She may even be dead, who knows...He ripped my heart out the day he made her take his deal to spare me and be his, how could I not want revenge when the opportunity was sitting right in front of my face?"

Bree's face softened a bit. They stared back at each other in silence after Dwight's words as Bree processed them. Just when Dwight had thought he got through to her, Her eyes narrowed and she morphed her finger tips into wolf-like claws and shoved her hand to his chest, embedding her sharp nails about half an inch into his skin, right around his heart. Dwight let out a wheezing noise from the pain. 

Bree glared at him and her mouth turned up into a tiny smirk, making her look as evil as a demon. "I hear what you are saying, I really do...But, I'm just not sure what any part of that story has to do with me" She said innocently as she gradually applied more pressure. "Now as sad as your story sounds...I just don't think that you _truly_ know the meaning of what it feels like to have your heart ripped out, how about I show you?" Bree said simply. 

Before Dwight could react, Bree dug her fingers into him and he let out a twisted yell of agony. He tried to pry her hands away from him but it was no use. She was going to kill him and there was nothing he could do about it. 

"That's enough Bree" a low voice appeared from down the hall. Bree was so caught up in Dwight's misery, she didn't even notice that someone had snuck up on them. Bree turned her head in the direction of the voice and she saw Negan's silhouette from down the hall with Lucille draped over his shoulder. Bree's angry expression fell from the surprise of seeing Negan but her hands remained on Dwight. Dwight found it ironic that for once, he was actually thrilled to see Negan. 

Negan slowly stalked up to them, his boots echoing every time they hit the floor. The light hit his face and Bree could make out a stern expression. "Let him go" He ordered. Bree wanted to protest but something wouldn't let her. She instinctively dropped her hand and released Dwight, who scrambled away from her the moment he was able to. 

He tripped over his own feet and landed on the floor, holding his heart and scooting as far away from her as possible, happy he was alive. Bree glared at him and she went to go take a step towards him but Negan caught her by the shoulder. "Leave him be" He said sternly. Bree spun around to face Negan. 

"You have got to be kidding me right now...After everything he did to me, everything he did to _us_ , all the lies, all the back-stabbing...You are really going to just let him go like that. Let him keep living under _your_ roof and leech off of everything we have?" Bree said, getting upset. 

Without taking his eyes off of Bree, Negan ordered Dwight to go see Carson if he needed to and then go back to his cell for the day. Dwight quickly got to his feet and ran off, eager to get away from Bree. Once he was gone, Negan put his arm around Bree. "How bout we finish this conversation in private, Shall we?" He said and then began to lead her upstairs to their room.

Bree gritted her teeth but did as she was told and let Negan guide her to the privacy of their room. As bad as Bree wanted to lash out and have her way with Dwight's life, there was an odd feeling of submissiveness over coming her whenever Negan was around. Though she would never admit it to anyone, it almost felt like the influence that Jeremy once had over her. She couldn't understand it. No matter how set her mind was on doing something, it would feel so wrong without Negan's approval. 

The truth was, even though Negan was not a wolf, he still had Alpha like qualities that made the Omega in Bree want to respect him. After finding out that Jeremy and her pack had given up on her, it traumatized Bree enough to break her bond from her pack and her bond from Jeremy. In result, Bree's wolf was desperately searching for someone to relate to as her Alpha. Omega's needed an Alpha role in their life more than Beta's, and would feel incomplete without one, like something was missing in their life. Granted, Negan was only human, but Bree's wolf saw no difference. That was why she could never lash out directly at Negan the way should could everyone else. 

When they arrived upstairs, Negan let Bree walk in first and he shut the door. He turned around and Bree was facing him with anger burning in her eyes. "What the hell was all that about? Why on Earth is he still alive? And why did I have to find this out from Laura!?" Bree demanded. 

"Now you just chill the fuck out, I did what I did to make an example of him. Hasn't anyone ever told you that sometimes life is way worth than death? I stripped him of everything he had and I get to rub it in his face every day for the rest of his God Damn life as my prisoner! Now I do not expect you to like what I did but you sure as shit better respect it and keep your hands off him!" Negan snapped back.

Bree let out a growl of frustration, stomped her foot, and threw herself back on the couch in defeat. Negan wasn't exactly expecting that reaction and he had to stifle back from laughing at her childish outburst. "You couldn't have at least let me mess him up a little?" Bree asked, staring at the ceiling. "Pfft, if I hadn't walked in when I did, someone would be scraping up his guts off the floor right now, were you really going to rip his heart out?" Negan asked in disbelief. 

"Damn straight" Bree replied, still not looking at him. Negan raised his eyebrows and sighed, running a hand down his face. "Shit...That's cold baby...Remind me never to get out your bad side" He said before he walked over and poured himself a drink. He slung back the contents, poured himself another one and went to go take a seat next to Bree. 

Bree turned on her side and laid back with her arms under her head, staring at Negan. Negan glanced back at her and then turned his body to face her's when he caught her staring. Her eyes never left him. 

"There somthin' you wanna discuss?" He asked when she wouldn't let up. She narrowed her eyes, a let out a deep breath as if she were contemplating whether or not she wanted to tell him what was on her mind. 

"You know I took a shower today" Bree began. "Oh? I like where this is going already" Negan said in intrigment, flashing her a dirty smile. Bree couldn't help but smirk at his comment and she rolled her eyes. "When I came out, I realized that I had no clean clothes, and I really didn't want to wear the dirty ones on the floor, so I thought about who in this whole building would have some clothes they could spare for me. I figured that your darling wives were bringing back shit every day from the market place, so why not ask them?" Bree continued innocently. 

She couldn't hold back the smile that escaped her lips when she saw Negan's jaw tense at the mention of his wives. Negan reached across the coffee table and grabbed his glass, taking a sip. "So did ya find some clothes?" Negan asked, stupidly playing along. Bree smirked.

"Well, I did manage to find some clothes, obviously, but what I didn't find were your wives..." Bree trailed on, watching his reaction intensely. Negan turned to her and stared at her with a smile. "Hmm...Well I wonder where they could be?" He snarked at her, toying with her on the subject just as much as she was toying with him. 

"Come on Negan, what happened to them?" Bree asked, impatiently cutting to the chase. Negan stayed silent for a moment and jokingly, still messing with her he said "I don't know...Maybe they got up and walked away."

Bree huffed. "Fine, whatever. Don't tell me then" She said, turning away from him and crossing her arms in front of her chest. Negan sighed and chuckled a bit. "Ohh come on, don't be such a sour puss. I'm just fucking with ya. Well, as you know, Sherri decided to split, Amber wanted to go back to Mark and her mom, and I sent the others to the outpost Eugene is working at to keep him company and to help with whatever he tells them too. We need all hands on deck right now, times are hard and we got a war brewing out there."

Bree turned to look at Negan when she got her answer. She was having a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that he 'got rid' of them. "So you just sent them away, just like that" She said, snapping her fingers. "Yeah well, they keep Eugene focused on what he needs to do and they are of more use there helping him than they are here sitting around and polishing their nails. From what I gather, they seem happier there now that they have more purpose."

"More purpose than keeping you dick wet?" Bree finished, cutting her eyes at him. Negan whipped his head in her directing in surprise from her words and said "Hey! Watch your mouth!...Shit...I think that's the nastiest thing I've ever heard you say" Negan said, not sure if he were impressed or disgusted that she would say something like that. 

Bree giggled. "Well it's true, that's literally all they were good for. You can't B.S. me on this one, I was there almost every night with you when I first came to this place, unfortunately I have good hearing. I know what was going on behind those closed doors" She teased. Negan sighed and rolled his eyes. 

"Well you got your answer" He said out of frustration. There was an awkward silence between them and he turned to face away from her again. "Do you miss them?" Bree asked, dropping her sarcasm and being sincere. Still without looking at Bree, he shook his head back and forth. "No...No, I don't....I don't know, they just weren't doing it for me anymore. I mean it was fun at first but after a while, it gets old. In the beginning, hell yeah, it was nice to have all those women around me but at the end of the day...Well fuck...I knew none of them truly wanted to be there" Negan said, opening up to her. 

It was very rare when she got to see this side of him so she made sure not to make any more jabs at his expense. She reached out an ran a hand down his arm, causing him to finally look at her. "I guess you just needed something real?" She asked, trying to pry into his mind. Negan gave her a smile and then reached over to stroke her cheek. "Yeah, I guess I just needed somthin' real" He confirmed, giving her a wink. 

Bree's smile grew bigger and she slid over from her spot on the couch and climbed on top of him, straddling his lap. She laced her fingers around the back of his head and placed a sweet emotional kiss on his lips, feeling a warm buzz of joy vibrate through her from getting the answer that she had hoped for. Negan ran his hands down her back and sides as he deepened the kiss, nipping her bottom lip for more access to her mouth. 

Sure enough, things got heated quick and Negan stood up with her still in his arms and walked over to the bed. Bree locked her legs around him as he carried her over and he laid her down gently in front of him. 

Even though she was still pretty upset about Dwight, Bree decided to let it go and just be happy in this moment. She didn't know what today or tomorrow would bring or how it would effect their relationship but she was beginning to grow attached to this complicated man. They had so much passion between the two of them and now that she knew that Negan was finally all hers, she was never going to let him go.


	41. Preparations

The next morning, Bree gradually awoke to a low humming of a busy Sanctuary underneath her. Everyone must have been down stairs because Bree's ears were definitely picking up a lot of activity from the lower levels. She rolled over to stretch and saw that Negan was no where to be found in the room that they now shared. 

She sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed and let out a deep yawn. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that today was going to be a big day, so she got up, got dressed, and headed down stairs to see what all the commotion was about. There was absolutely no one on the upper levels which was odd for this time of day. This confirmed her suspicions even more. 

When Bree arrived to the common area of the Sanctuary, everyone was scurrying about, busy as bees. She scanned the room to look for Negan and saw that he was talking to Eugene and father Gabriel?

On her way over to him, she ran into Laura who was escorting Dwight down a hallway. 

"Hey Laura, what's going on?" Bree asked, treating Dwight like he wasn't there. Laura's face softened when she saw Bree. "Hey, I'm surprised Negan hasn't told you, Eugene finished the inventory that Negan had him workin' on...They are getting ready to test it out. If everything goes as planned, Negan wants to go ahead and start the attack on Alexandria as soon as today!" Laura beamed excitedly. 

Bree looked at Laura as if she had three heads. "What attack?" Bree asked, not sure what Laura was talking about. Laura's enthusiasm left her face. "Oh..Shit...Sorry, I just assumed Negan told you, he's been planning this move on Alexandria for weeks now...He has a plan to surround them and wipe them out for good, they will no longer be a threat to us anymore!" 

Bree stared at Laura trying to make sense of her words. She knew that Negan was up in arms with Alexandria but she didn't understand why she was left out of this all together. After she said goodbye to Laura, she marched right up to Negan. Gabriel and Eugene's eyes shifted over to her as she tapped Negan on the shoulder. He turned around with raised eyebrows and his face turned into a smile when he saw it was Bree. "There's my girl!" He boasted as he leaned in to give Bree a kiss. "How's it going baby?" He asked, throwing his whole body in his movements, obviously putting on a show. 

Bree's eyes darted back and forth from Negan to Eugene and Gabriel as she said with a fake smile "I don't know, you tell me...What's all this about?" 

She caught Negan's eyes dropping a little at her words but he still had to keep up his appearance. "This...All this is about justice, the last stand, the beginning of something good! This is about us finally taking a mother-fuckin' stand and showing all those other fuckers out there that you do NOT fuck with the Saviors!" 

He was still obviously putting on a show and Bree rolled her eyes. Pulling him closer to her by his jacket, in a low voice she said "That's great darling, it really is...Now why don't you tell me what is really going on" wanting him to cut the bull shit. Negan sighed and excused himself from his conversation. With a frown, he grabbed Bree under her arm and pulled her away so he could talk privately. 

"Look, I get what this looks like, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you about any of this sooner...You had a lot on your plate at the time, I didn't want to involve you in any of this with your history with Alexandria and I wanted to handle it my way" Negan explained. "Good God Negan, I didn't realize you were planning something this big! You could have come to me with this, I understand that you have your way of doing things but I'm getting the vibe that everyone else in this place was on board but me...Not gonna lie, that kinda hurts" Bree said in disappointment. 

Negan frowned deeper and he sighed. "Like I said, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to bother you with this with everything you had going on...Plus, I gotta say you were a nice distraction from it all when I needed it" He said, being sincere. 

Bree couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face after he said that. She rolled her eyes and said "Well, I guess I could forgive you, just keep me in the loop from now on, OK?" 

A big smile spread to Negan's face and he leaned in to give her another kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Deal...Come on, let's see if Eugene's bullets are everything he says they are". Negan pulled Bree by her hand back over to where Eugene and father Gabriel were waiting. 

"Alrighty, let's see what we got" Negan said as he reached out and grabbed a gun that Eugene handed him, passing him Lucille to hold on to. Negan toyed with the gun for a moment and with a big smirk, he turned to face a target that consisted on a brick of hay with a white t-shirt that said 'Rick'. Bree rolled her eyes at the irony of it. 

He took a few shots at it which echoed throughout the Sanctuary and sure enough, it was a success. Negan turned back to Eugene with a shit eating grin on his face and traded back the gun for Lucille. He looked very happy with what Eugene had accomplished. "Regina laid out the plan for you right?" Negan said, talking business that Bree didn't really understand. "That's why I requested the ride along. Depending on the terrain and timing, the pump and priming, I believe we should attempt a one-fell-swooper. A firing line that would minimize chaos opportunity and alpha-to-omega this thing in less than ten" Eugene explained in a mono toned voice. 

At that moment, Bree wished that he would just speak plain English instead of his usually terminology. "Are you sure that's something you want to see? Negan asked, looking at Eugene with narrowed eyes. Eugene nervously looked back and forth between Negan and Bree. Bree caught the apprehensiveness in his eyes and she smelled a whiff of fear roll off of him. "More of a need to thing" he responded back, trying to look serious. In that moment, Bree became very suspicious of Eugene. Her wolf in her caught someone off about him that she wasn't perceiving as genuine and she decided that she was going to keep a closer eye on him to see if he was definitely up to something. 

As Negan barked at everyone to load up and roll out, he caught a few Saviors that were passing by him and called out to them, handing them a map. "This map will show you where I'll be if there is trouble" He said, handing them a folded up piece of paper. "No, we got this one locked down" a Savior with blue hair said. "Damn straight you do" Negan replied back. 

Once they were out of ear shot, Negan turned to Bree, Eugene, and Gabriel and muttered "Idiots". Bree turned her head in confusion. "What was that about?" She questioned. Negan gave her a toothy grin and said "All in good time sweetheart".

Bree glared at him and before she could protest he turned to father Gabriel. "Why don't you tag along with us Gabey? I got some shit that I wanna confess" He said with a smirk. He grabbed Bree's hand and pulled her to where the trucks were loading up. 

"Negan....What the hell is going on!" She whispered aggressively to him. She was done with being misinformed and she wanted some answers now! "I'll explain on the way there, right now we have somewhere to be" He said as he pulled her along, not looking at her. A bad feeling was growing in her stomach and she had a feeling that Negan had just done something awful to those people that he just gave the map to. She wasn't sure why he didn't want to tell her. 

When they got to the truck, Negan drove while Bree sat in the front seat with Father Gabriel and Eugene in the back. He started the truck and within minutes they were out of the Sanctuary and on their way to where ever Negan had planned for them to go. Bree was feeling extremely uneasy about this but for her, not going was not an option. 

She had to protect Negan no matter what. If he was leading them into something wreckless than that was all the more reason that she needed to be there. she would be devastated if she found out that something happened to him that she could have prevented. As far as she was concerned, he needed her now more than ever, whether he realized it or not. She still didn't trust Eugene, he was acting very shifty, even more so than usual and she didn't know how to tell Negan this without sounding overly paranoid.

After a few minutes of driving, the truck stayed quiet until Negan spoke. "Bless me, Father for I have sinned...Probably" He chuckled. "Any second now, those men that I sent out down there on that road, setting up that road block with the dead, not knowing they're joining their cold asses any second, 'cause Rick and his band of pricks...We're gonna hit 'em hard" He continued to go on. 

It took a moment for Bree to register his words and when she was able to put the pieces together, she slowly turned her head to him with wide eyes. Negan let out a dramatic sigh and said "You know, I don't enjoy sacrificing my own people, you know that right? I mean those guys back there, they came up with Simon. Some of us had to take one for the team, might as well be them."

At that moment, Bree had a decision to make. She had to decide for herself just where her loyalties lied. Was it with Negan? Or was it with the Sanctuary? Her brain was sending her all sorts of red flags but her instinct was saying to stick by Negan's side no matter what....So she did. As disgusted as she was with him that he would stoop so low to sacrifice his own, they were Simon's people and she gave into her wolf to trust that Negan knew best. She still didn't realize that she was sired to Negan and that he was the Alpha role in her life but had she known, the old Bree might have not been so willing to go along with his plans. 

"Ricky was slipped some intel, make him think he can get the jump on me. The thing is, it came from a less than reliable source so if I were him, I'd be scouting ahead, taking out that little road-block crew is gonna make Rick think he's got the real story, where I'll really be. They'll come to get me. See, that is the trap and that is how we will get them. They are going to find a map with the time and place I'll be and they're going to believe it because they will have killed all those poor bastards".

Bree realized then that that was what that map was about that he passed to those guys back there. He had it figured out all along and she felt silly that he was just telling her all this now. She had to admit it was a smart plan, even though it wasn't exactly ethical. 

"So that's it?" Gabriel spoke up. "Your confession is that you're going to kill every last one of them? When we spoke before you seemed as if you didn't want it to happen?" 

Negan looked in the rear-view mirror and said "It ain't about want, Gabey. It never was" Negan replied grimly as he swerved to avoid hitting a walker in the road. 

Before Bree could process his words, Father Gabriel opened the door of the truck and jumped out, tucking and rolling away as far as he could. "SHIT!" Negan screamed as he slammed on the breaks, practically sending Bree into the dash. She had to slam her feet down into the floorboards and hold on for dear life to the door to avoid being projected out of her seat. Gabriel took off running into the woods and the moment the truck stopped, Bree jumped out and was after him with Eugene on her heels. 

"After him! He can't see crap!" She heard Negan call out behind her. 

It wasn't long before Bree caught up to him and she saw him struggling with a walker. She ran up and before she could get close enough to him, a bullet was fired, flying right above her shoulder and hitting the walker in the head. Bree collapsed on the ground from surprise and whipped around to see Eugene charging up on the scene. "What the hell Eugene?!" Bree called out, pissed that he almost hit her. Eugene ignored Bree and marched right up to Gabriel, pointing his gun at him. 

"Eugene! I have to warn them! You can't do this" Gabriel hastily tried to explain as Eugene pinned him to a tree. "Shut up! Shut your damn mouth! Or so help me I will use a homemade ammunition to crack your cranium right here, right now! Do you understand!?" Eugene spat off, eyes again shifting back and forth between Father Gabriel and Bree. Bree got the vibe that he was putting on a show and everything about him was screaming at her not to trust him. Call it instinct but she had a feeling deep down that she was right. 

Finally Gabriel backed down and agreed to surrender to Eugene. "Look at you...Where does your faith go when you truly need it" Eugene scoffed at him. Gabriel looked down at the ground in shame and then Negan casually strolled up out of no where. Bree was still on the ground, taking in the scene before her. 

"Sorry Eugene, I'm gonna have to call dibs on Gabey boy myself" Negan said as he walked up to stand between Gabriel and Eugene. Before anyone could react, Negan roughly jabbed Gabriel in the stomach with the head of Lucille, sending him tumbling to the ground, hunching over and holding his gut. 

"You said you didn't want to die a fruitless death...Well, you can't always get what you want" Negan said seriously as he and Eugene stood over him. 

Bree looked up at Negan, frozen in her spot on the ground for what was going to come next. She nervously swallowed as she watched Negan slowly raise Lucille over his shoulder and she anticipated the bat coming down and cracking Gabriel's skull. She didn't realize just how heavy she was breathing. 

All the sudden Negan caught Bree's eyes and they became locked on hers. Her eyes were wide with fear and it made Negan think twice on killing Gabriel in front of her. Even though she knew he was fully capable, she had never seen Negan kill someone as defenseless as Gabriel was at that moment with her own eyes. Negan knew this too and something in him made him not want her to see that side of him. 

Finally he sighed and put on a deep frown and said "Load him in the car". Bree breathed out in relief, as did Father Gabriel and as Eugene hoisted him up to his feet, Negan walked over to where Bree was at on the ground. Their eyes did all the talking as Bree's were filled with emotion and Negan's were filled with a sternness that showed he wasn't to be messed with but with also a gentleness at the same time, being in the presence of Bree. 

Negan stood over Bree and held out a hand to her, helping her up to her feet. He pulled her close to him and put a rough hand on her cheek and looked her over, making sure she was OK. Bree leaned into his hand and closed her eyes, enjoying his compassionate side with her amongst all this chaos. 

"You OK baby?" He said in a deep low voice to where only she could hear him. Bree nodded into his hand. "I'm fine, I just got scared, that's all. Eugene almost clipped me when he hit that walker...I know that you have a lot of stock in him right now but I don't know about him Negan. I'm getting a bad feeling like we shouldn't be trusting him" Bree said sincerely.

Negan's frown grew as he looked at her. Their eyes dueled back and forth and finally Negan pulled Bree's face closer to his and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'll keep an eye on him, don't worry about it sweetheart. When all this goes down, I want you by my side, alright?"

Bree nodded and Negan gave her a smile. "This is all going to work out, you will see. After today things will be better, I promise". Bree nodded her head. She hoped he was right but something inside her wasn't biting. 

He grabbed her by the hand and together they walked back to the trucks to continue on to their destination. The rest of the way there, the truck was filled with an awkward silence. 

Once they arrive to the clearing where they were planning on ambushing Rick and his gang, everyone exited their vehicles like ants. They began passing out the ammo that Eugene made and Negan gave everyone instructions to spread out on top of the hill and wait for his signal. 

Bree began to stretch and began to prep her body for a change. As she was stretching, she saw Eugene walk over to Gabriel and whisper something in his ear. Bree's eyes narrowed and before she could react, Negan approached her. 

"OK, Everyone's getting into their positions, if I am correct, we have less than an hour before they are gonna show, where you gonna be?" Negan quizzed her. "Right by your side" Bree confirmed, giving him the answer that he wanted. "Damn straight!" Negan responded proudly as he put his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her into him. 

"I'm gonna go shift before all this goes down" Bree stated. "Seriously? Why?" Negan said in surprise. "Because...It will be better this way...I'm better this way" She replied. 

Negan gave her a look up and down with his eyebrows raised. "Ok then, suit yourself...Whatever you want to do sweetheart". Bree nodded her head.

Before she walked away to go shift, she threw her arms around Negan. He seemed a bit taken off guard at first but then gradually reciprocated the action. "I trust you" She said, burying her face into his chest. "I trust you too honey" He replied back, not sure why she was acting this way. "I know that you just want what's best for everyone, for the Sanctuary, granted I have my concerns but I trust you enough to put my faith in you that this will all work out, that we will be OK, we got this!" Bree said, giving this pep talk more for herself than anything. 

Negan looked down at her with a tender expression that made Bree's heart flutter. With his hands on both sides of her face, he leaned down next to her and whispered something in her ear. Bree's eyes went wide from his words and she looked up at him as if he just rocked her whole universe. He gave her a smile and she smiled back, pulling him towards her for one last sweet kiss before taking on the biggest battle of their lives. He rubbed her face and slowly let her go so she could go change into her wolf.

She didn't know what the outcome of this was going to be but with Negan by her side, she was sure anything was possible. Or at least that's what she thought....

 

(Ok guys. I have been giving it some thought and I have decided that this story is going to be ending very soon...I'm thinking maybe three more chapters, if that. I am up to date on the Walking Dead and I have decided that I don't want Bree to meet the whisperers, simply because I do not think that they would be any match for her and she could easily chew them up and spit them out, literally. There would be no challenge and I just don't think it would make a good story line. I just wanted to give whoever is still into this story a heads up. I feel like I can no longer focus on this story with whats going on in my personal life and I just really think its time to end it, as much as it breaks my heart. I suppose all good things must come to an end at some point. I may do some fun shorts here and there for this story eventually but as of right now, I think it's time to wrap this up. Thank you to everyone who has been giving me supportive comments, I would have not gotten this far without you!)


	42. Change is Coming

"Well damn Rick, look at that!" Negan teased over the shrill sound of the infamous two-toned whistle that echoed all around them. "Pegged again and pegged so very hard". 

They had Rick and the rest of the Alexandrian's completely surrounded and even though all of the Saviors were out of sight for the time being, Rick knew that this wasn't going to end well for them. All of Rick's people had their guns drawn and ready to fire as they scanned around the hilltop that surrounded them, trying to see where the attack was going to come from. 

"I ambushed your ambush, with an even bigger ambush" Negan continued to taunt them over the radio he was using so they would hear him loud and clear. 

Rick was starting to lose his patience. "How about you step out and face us!" Rick called out, still unsure of where his voice was coming from. "Ohh, I am everywhere Rick. Some more bullhorns, more walkies...Pick a direction to run, see how you do...Make it fun for all of us. Guess what else I did? I brought you some of your old friends." Negan went on. 

Rick and his people kept turning in circles, anticipating whatever Negan was about to throw their way. "You remember your old buddy Eugene? Well he is the person that made today possible. Same goes for Dwighty boy here. In case you were wondering, he didn't ream you on purpose, no, he is just a gutless nothin' that sucks at life, and now he gets to stand up here and watch you all die and he's gonna live with that."

Dwight shifted his feet back and forth at Negan's words and Bree, who was standing maybe five feet away from him, let out a warning growl, almost daring him to try something. Negan smirked down at her and continued with his rant. 

"Gabriel, well..." Negan started before cocking his gun and pointing it at the back of Gabriel's head. "...He's gotta go too. We are cleaning house today Rick! And then...There's you."

Negan sighed and his tone changed. "It never had to be a fight. You just had to accept how things are. So...Here we go, congratulations Rick."

As Negan put down his Radio and Bree could feel the atmosphere change almost immediately. She was picking up a wave of serious anxiety coming off of Eugene that made her more alert than ever. She picked up her head to study him and she saw him give Negan a nod of reassurance. Something felt off and Bree began to brace herself for whatever was about to come. She took a few steps to be closer to Negan. 

There was a long eerie pause before Negan picked up his radio again. It was so quiet, Bree was able to hear birds chirping off in the distance. "Three" Negan started to count off. "Two". 

A moment after Negan said 'two', the Saviors sprang into action, stepping forward to finally show themselves, to show Alexandria just how fucked they were. Bree too, walked to the edge and let out a fierce growl. Rick and his people were completely surrounded. 

At that moment, they got a deep feeling of dread in the pit of their stomachs when they saw just what they were up against. Any thought of their previous plan had gone out the window. The feeling of defeat and guilt slowly started to hit Rick. What had he gotten his family into? With how many of them there were, he was not seeing a way out of this. 

"One" Negan finally called out. That was when things took an awful turn for the Saviors. 

An ear shattering noise burted through the air the moment all the Saviors fired their guns, followed by the screams that made Bree's ears ring. For a moment, Bree was confused. She was expecting the screams to come from Rick's people down below and she felt like she was in some sort of an illusion. The metallic smell of blood penetrated her nose, but her eyes were trained on the Alexandrian's and not one of them seemed to be doubling over from their attack. 

It was then when Bree looked around and realized that the blood and the screams were coming from her own people. 

Her eyes went wide and she felt a panic rush over her, not knowing what was going on as she helplessly watched more and more of her people drop to the ground. She turned around to look at Negan right as he fired his gun and she saw him drop the gun and grab his hand, howling in pain. 

Bree let out a screech as she ran up to him, trying to get a look at his hand. She was thankful that he wasn't dead on the ground like the majority of their people but she felt a rush of emotions come over her from not being able to help. She wanted to switch back to her human self but that would leave her too vulnerable during her change. 

Negan was yelling out just about every curse word in the book and Bree felt useless, wanting to comfort him and assess his wound. Negan picked his head up, holding a bloody hand and looked at Eugene, cursing his name. 

That's when it clicked in Bree's head, what actually happened. Eugene rigged the bullets so that they would fire back on the Saviors. As she was putting the pieces in her head, Negan ran at Eugene in a fury of rage from what he had done. Eugene stood there in defense, ready for Negan to pounce on him but out of no where Dwight ran up and tackled Negan into one of the trucks. 

He started to hit Negan and do everything he could to keep him back and Bree sprang into action. She jumped up with a loud growl and grabbed Dwight by the shoulder, bringing him down to the ground, off of Negan. Once she had him underneath her, she pulled her head back and looked him in the eyes. She glared and gave him one final growl. Dwight's eyes went wide with fear as he tried to bring his hands up before she proceeded to tear into his neck and shoulder, ripping into his throat and killing him in a matter of seconds. 

When Bree was fully satisfied that she got her revenge and that Dwight would no longer be a problem, she picked her head up to make eye contact with Eugene who was stupidly standing there watching her kill Dwight, whimpering and paralyzed in fear. She didn't realize it at the time but she was quiet terrifying to look at. Her muzzle and neck was covered in Dwight's blood and she had a dangerous feral look in her eyes from the adrenaline that was quickly building up in her system from the traumatic turn of events.

She let out a deep growl at Eugene and stepped off of Dwight to charge at him next but she felt a serious sharp pain in her right shoulder that made her yelp and break her focus from Eugene. She turned her head and saw that the Alexandrian's were approaching on them quick and that Daryl shot her with one of his arrows in attempt to save Eugene. 

She was able to quickly assess the situation and she realized that she wasn't going to be able to take all of them so she ran off, dodging behind the vehicles, in desperate search of Negan. At that moment, he was the only one she was concerned about. 

Once she felt that she was a safe enough distance away, she arched her head over her shoulder and in one movement, she ripped the arrow out of her shoulder. She whimpered a bit as she felt the blood make it's way down her front leg but quickly shook off the pain as she she saw Rick's head hastily weaving it's way around the cars. As she continued to watch him, she saw that he had a gun in his hand and she knew that he was looking for Negan. 'Ohh no' She thought to herself as she tried to stealthily follow him the best she could so he wouldn't see her. 

She came to the end of the car line and Some how Rick had gotten way ahead of her. She saw him chasing after Negan who was running towards a tree in the middle of the open field. Rick took a shot at Negan and Bree's ear's jerked forward. Luckily he missed and Bree began to run up to Rick to make sure that he wouldn't get the opportunity again. She had to protect Negan, that was her one and only goal at this point. 

She charged behind Rick, running at him at full speed. She was only a few feet away from him, practically right on his heels and she lunged up at him with the intention of grabbing him by the shoulder and taking him down, just like she did to Dwight. 

All the sudden, as she was in mid air, she felt a force, so strong and so powerful crash into her, knocking her to the ground so hard that she rolled several feel away.

The force completely knocked the wind out of her and left her in a daze, trying to catch her breath. Before she could get up and re-group, she felt a strong pressure wrap around the back of her neck. She took one whiff and the familiarity of the scent that she breathed in practically brought tears to her eyes. It was Clay. 

Clay wrapped his jaws around her neck in effort to pin her to the ground. He growled over her as she began to thrash to try to get out of his grasp but it was no use, he was too strong. He was always stronger than her. 

Bree growled and snarled as she fought against him. Clay towered over her and tried to use his body weight to hold her down but he was slowly losing his grip on her. Bree managed to get out from underneath him and continued to pull back against his jaws. She could feel his teeth ripping through her flesh but she didn't care. She had to get to Negan. 

Just when Bree was beginning to feel that she might be able to get away, Nick now charged up to the scene, in his wolf form. He ran up and grabbed Bree by her hind-quarters and threw her to the ground. Bree let out another series of growls from Nick's presence but it was no use. With the two of them tag teaming her, she didn't stand a chance. 

Bree arched her head back to check on Negan, who thankfully was still alive. He and Rick were having their stand-off and even though she knew she was out numbered, she still tried to pull away to get at them.

Luckily Rick no longer had his gun and now both men were flailing each other on the ground. Negan got the upper hand and was now towering over Rick with Lucille. This made Bree feel better and she couldn't help but smirk. It gave her a moment to deal with Clay and Nick, even though she was practically helpless against them, she continued to fight. 

She managed to get her head away from Clay and in that brief second of freedom she had, she turned around and clamped onto Nick's ear, causing him to yelp and let go of her. 

She was able to get a little closer to Negan but was stopped short from both of the boys jumping back on top of her and grabbing her again. As Bree was on the ground, she felt a pair of warm hands caress through her fur in contrast to the sharp teeth that were beginning to penetrate through her skin. 

This presence made her stop what she was doing and turn her head to meet the stern, yet kind expression from her father, Jeremy. She froze as both her and Jeremy locked eyes. She was in shock, thinking that she would never see him again and yet here he was. Elena was right by his side. 

"Bree, Bree sweetie, it's over. It's over honey. You lost, it's time to give up, it's gonna be OK" He said gently. As their eyes dueled back and forth, his words played in her mind. 'You lost'. Bree's round eyes narrowed as she realized that his words were true and she let out another growl in protest. "Bree...Just submit. Everything will be OK, we still love you. Just listen to Jeremy" Elena chimed in, trying to reason with her. 

Bree looked back and forth between Jeremy and Elena and she pinned her ears back and growled. She remembered the feeling she had gotten when they abandoned her after she lost her mind and she was trying to hold on to that feeling so she wouldn't give in. 

Both Clay and Nick still had a good hold of her but she started to thrash again in protest to get away and show them that she had no plans of submitting any time soon. Jeremy and Elena looked at each other and nodded their heads. 

All the sudden Jeremy pulled a needle out of his pocket and swiftly stabbed it into Bree's backside, injecting it's contents into her body. She winced from the contact and in a matter of seconds she felt a sleepiness begin to over come her. 

Bree slowly came to the realization that she was done and that yes, she did lose. She turned back to look at Negan and the moment her eyes landed on him, she saw Rick draw his hand back and swipe his knife right across Negan's throat!

This action made Bree spring back to life and she let out an ear piercing howl that was filled with pain, agony, and remorse. She continued to cry as she found the strength to stand up to try to get to Negan. She wanted to rip Rick's head from his shoulders for what he did. 

She managed to get enough gusto to stand up on her hind legs to try to get away. The boys would not let go of her and Jeremy kept calling out to Bree to stop but it was no use. She let out another cry of agony when she watched Negan fall to the ground, gripping his throat. The whole front of him was covered in blood and as he fell to the ground in defeat, she felt her heart break in a way that was foreign to her. 

She continued to cry and whimper from afar, watching her love die in front of her and she had never felt so helpless in her life as she did in that moment. Jeremy and Elena kept running their hands up and down her back and sides, shushing her and trying to comfort her the best they could until the blackness slowly consumed her and she passed out. 

 

As it turns out, Jeremy and the pack made it about halfway to Florida before they realized what a mistake they were making by leaving Bree. Jeremy was ashamed of himself for leaving her because he had always prided himself and the pack on their family values and what they were doing was the exact opposite of what they believed in. 

Once they came to this realization, they high-tailed it back to Alexandria and had a meeting with Rick right away. They ended up coming clean to him and everyone about what they were and after the initial shock wore off and they calmed down, they made a deal with Rick. They agreed to help them fight against the Saviors and scavenge for supplies in exchange for Bree's safety and under the condition that Jeremy would handle her in the way he saw fit. 

Granted, Alexandria wasn't exactly thrilled about this plan, considering that Bree did kill one of their own, but once Jeremy and the pack proved their skills to be useful to them, their hostility died down and they decided to compromise. 

Rick set them up in a nice cabin, not too far from Alexandria to make his people more at ease so they weren't 'technically' living at Alexandria. The pack would help Alexandria as needed finding them supplies and getting into places that they couldn't and in return, Alexandria took care of the pack. 

After a while, the people of Alexandria realized that Jeremy, Nick, Elena, and Clay were their friends and not a threat and they eventually learned to trust them with their relationship turning into a friendship based off mutual respect. 

They still didn't trust Bree but they trusted Jeremy enough to be able to deal with her and keep her in check so she wouldn't hurt anyone else. 

Jeremy knew that he would have his work cut out for him, trying to reprogram Bree into realizing that the Savior's weren't good people and that everything Negan was doing was wrong. Granted, the last and only conversation he had with Negan ended on a positive note, but that wasn't enough to make him over look everything he had done to Alexandria. 

Jeremy hoped that his love for his daughter would be enough to over come the evil that Negan poisoned Bree's mind with and eventually he would be able to get her into the pack's good graces again. He knew it would take some time and it wasn't going to be easy now that she would be under the impression that Negan was dead but he had to try. He owed her that much after abandoning her in the first place. 

He was determined to get the pack's old Bree back, no matter how long it took...

(Today is my birthday so you are obligated to tell me how much you loved this chapter! Lol jk! ;) or am I....)


	43. Just Look At All That Pain

Bree began to gradually stir awake and she felt like she had a hangover from hell. Her whole body was sore, she had a headache, and the worst case of cotton mouth she had ever experienced . She still couldn't find the energy to open her eyes so she just laid there, not ready to deal with the world just yet. 

She frowned as everything started to come back to her. Her family had came back for her. That would have meant something but she had another pressing feeling of remorse clouding over her that she couldn't find the will to feel any happiness.

Negan.

As soon as his name appeared in her mind, she got a flash of memories that hit her like a freight train. She remembered the last thing she saw was Negan kneeling down in front of Rick, clenching his throat and covered in blood. 

...His blood...

Her eyes jolted open as she gasped. She hastily looked around to check out her surroundings and she felt a wave a panic wash over her. She was in a cage, a cell that was very similar to the one that her family had back at Stone Haven in the basement. It looked exactly the same with a mattress on the floor. 

Bree attempted to stand only to be knocked down by her own exhaust, still feeling very dizzy and groggy from what ever they injected her with. Bree growled at the memory.

Bree heard a throat clear from the far corner of the room and she jerked her head in the direction of it. Jeremy was sitting in a chair with his arms crossed, staring at her. 

Bree's eyes widened as she dramatically jumped back to the part of the cell that was the furthest away from him. She tried to growl but her throat was so dry, it sent her into a coughing fit and she had trouble catching her breath. Jeremy's eyes softened and he reached down to pick up a glass of water by his feet and stood up to bring the glass over to Bree. 

Not taking his eyes off of her, he slowly passed the water through the bars and said "Here, drink this, it will make you feel better". 

Once he set the cup down he backed away from the cell and continued to watch Bree as she eyed the cup as if it's contents were poison. Jeremy sighed and rolled his eyes. "Bree, just drink it. I have no reason to drug you if you are already in a cell and I know you would smell it if there was anything other than water in there" Jeremy said bluntly. 

Bree blinked her eyes at him and realized his words to be true, though this did not stop her from hesitating. She slowly leaned over to grab the glass and proceeded to chug every last drop. He was right, it did make her feel better. 

Once the glass was empty, Bree set it down on the floor next to her and wiped her mouth of a few stray drops, and looked at Jeremy. "Where's Negan?" She asked, praying that he was OK. 

Jeremy paused before he answered her. "Never mind him...How are you feeling?" He asked, trying to change the subject. Bree didn't answer. "Where is everyone?" She asked another question, since he wasn't going to tell her about Negan. 

"Nick is out on a run and Clay and Elena are upstairs. I wanted to be the first one to talk to you, seems we have a lot to catch up on" Jeremy replied with furrowed eye brows. 

Bree plopped down on the mattress in defeat. She had a feeling she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. There was an awkward silence between them for a while, Bree was being stubborn and Jeremy was hoping that she would break down and talk to him about everything that happened. The two of them used to share a strong bond and she used to talk to Jeremy about everything and he was quickly realizing that that was no longer the case. It made him sad. 

"Where's Negan?" She asked again, this time through gritted teeth and still refusing to look at him. 

"Why did you do it?" Jeremy asked, cutting to the chase. Bree's eyes flashed over to Jeremy. "I've done a lot of things...you might want to be specific..." Bree snapped back. 

"Why did you kill Rositia?" Jeremy said after another pause. Bree sighed. 

She did have regrets on this subject and she still honestly didn't know why she did it. She suspected it had something to do with what Malcolm did to her but she didn't know if she was ready to talk to Jeremy about this. She stayed quiet. 

"It's OK Bree...I know you weren't yourself when you did that, there was no way you were. We know that Malcolm did a number on you and we get that there was a lot of tension between you and Rosita, I just want to understand, that's all" Jeremy reasoned.

Bree couldn't pick her eyes up to look at Jeremy. She felt them begin to water as the guilt for what she had done to Rositia finally began to catch up with her. She had been repressing it for so long, there was something about the kindness of Jeremy's tone that was forcing her to deal with it. 

"Where's Negan?" She asked again, her voice shaking from trying to hold back her tears. Jeremy saw her struggle and his eyes softened. He could see that he was creating a crack in the wall that she built up around her and he moved from his chair to sit on the floor right outside the cell. Bree flinched but couldn't scoot any further away simply because there was no where else to go. 

Jeremy continued to study her as she fought her internal battle. She was trying to push her last day at Alexandria back down and bury it along with her other emotions. 

He chose his next set of words very carefully. "I'm so sorry Bree" he said, looking down at the floor. Bree finally picked her eyes up to look at him, surprised by his choice of words. Jeremy continued. 

"I am so sorry that we left you. We left you when you needed us the most because we didn't know what to do. You were out of control and we should have stayed, we should have searched for you harder...But we didn't...And for that, I'm sorry doesn't even begin to sum up the remorse I have for doing that to you. I hope that some day you can learn to forgive me. It was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life and I vow that I will never do that to you or anyone else in this family again."

Bree picked her eyes up to meet Jeremy's and the look on his face finally made her give in to her emotions. Usually Jeremy was very strong willed and very good about keeping his emotions in check and this was the first time where she could actually see the pain in his eyes from his decisions and Bree couldn't stop the tears from falling. 

The truth was, she really missed Jeremy, dearly so. Granted she was angry at him for leaving her and that would take some time for her to get over it, but he came back for her. They all did, and that had to mean something. They had both made some bad decisions and if Jeremy was able to still love her after them, she could find it in her heart to do the same. 

Jeremy could see the emotions playing on her face of her letting go of her anger and he reached out to her in attempt to comfort her like he used to do. Bree stared at his hand for a moment and looked at Jeremy. He was giving her a pleading look, trying to let her know it was OK and trying to show her that he was being sincere. Bree finally gave in and went to him. 

She crawled over and knelt down against the bars, letting Jeremy wrap his arm around her the best he could. Tears continued to fall from both of them as she leaned into the bars, trying to get closer to him. She pressed her nose into his bicep and breathed in his scent. He smelt slightly different to her than she remembered but there was still no mistaking that it was Jeremy's scent and it felt just as comforting to her as it used to. 

They stayed like this for a while, just holding each other the best they could and Jeremy continued to run his hand over her face and hair, trying to assure her that everything was going to be OK. 

Finally Bree pulled away, just enough to look at Jeremy. "Jeremy please...I have to know. Where is Negan?" She tried one last time, hoping to get an answer, only she wasn't prepared for what she was about to hear. 

Jeremy's eyes dropped to the floor for a moment and then he brought them back up to look at her face. With a sorrowful tone, he said "Bree...Negan is dead."

Bree felt the air quickly deflate out of her lungs as her eyes grew wide. "What?" She stammered out. She didn't want it to be true. She wanted to believe that he was going to be OK, that he magically was able to pull himself out of the trouble that he had gotten himself into and that he was back at the Sanctuary right now, coming up with a plan to get her back. He always had and she didn't want this time to be any different. 

But she was there. She was there when she watched helplessly from afar as Rick sliced his throat open. She was there as she watched him go down and saw all his blood flow down his body. She didn't want it to be true but it happened. There was no mistaking it and she could keep imagining all the scenarios where Negan made it out OK but it was no use. Negan was dead. 

Bree started to hyperventilate and she turned in on herself, away from Jeremy. She let out a series of hard sobs that broke Jeremy's heart. She was feeling torn up from the inside out as the realization sunk in that she would never see Negan again. She would never be able to help him through his redemption and he would forever be remembered as a monster.

Jeremy would have given anything in that moment to make her feel better but he knew this was for the best. It was the only way to get his Bree back. 

All he wanted to do was comfort her. She was broken and in so much mental anguish that Jeremy couldn't resist. He stood up and dug through his pocket to find the keys to the cell door. He opened it up and hurried in, eager to get to Bree and wrap his arms around her. By the time he got to her she was a shaking mess on the floor. He knelt down next to her and pulled her into him, holding her as she cried out her emotions. 

He rocked her back and forth and kept whispering encouraging words in her ears on how she was going to get through this. Bree wanted to believe him, she really did but all she could focus on right now was the pain and the empty feeling that consumed her. She felt like her heart was ripped out of her chest right in front of her and even though she had her family back, she felt so alone. 

His last words to her, he had whispered in her hear so only she could hear them. He told her that he loved her, no matter what happens. And she stupidly didn't say it back, though she truly wished she had. She didn't realize it at the time but she loved him too, and she foolishly thought that she was going to have all the time in the world to be able to tell him in her own special way but she couldn't have been more wrong, and it was killing her. 

"Leave me" Bree stammered out through her tears. She just wanted to be alone. Jeremy pulled his head back to look at her with sincerity. He hugged her one more time and kissed the top of her forehead before standing up to walk out of the cell, giving her the space she needed. "I'll be back in a little while to check on you" He said before walking out and shutting the door, still sniffling on his way back up stairs. 

When he made it upstairs, he shut the door and turned around to see Elena and Clay standing in the kitchen, eagerly waiting to hear what he had to say. Jeremy looked back at the door and then back to them. He wiped the tears off his face and signaled for them to go outside. Even though Bree was still upset, he didn't want to chance her hearing anything that he was going to say to Clay and Elena. 

Once they were all outside and a safe enough distance away from the house, Jeremy turned around to address them. "Has Nick come back yet?" He asked. 

Clay and Elena exchanged glances and shook their heads no. "I think he just needs some time to adjust to Bree being back. He doesn't really know what to say to her and I don't think he knows how to forgive her" Elena said.

Jeremy sighed. "I understand his anguish but I don't think avoidance is the best course of action" Jeremy said running a and through his hair. Elena nodded. "He will come around, I know he will...How's Bree doing?" Elena asked, genuinely concerned.

"Well, it's not going to be easy and it will take a while, but I do believe that she can be redeemed and re-educated to pack ways" Jeremy stated. 

"Did you tell her about Negan?" Clay asked. Jeremy hesitated before answering. "I did...She's really upset so I decided to give her some space. I'm going to go back down there in a little while to check on her. I want us all to start making visits down in the basement regularly. Shes in a lot of pain right now and she needs to be reminded that she is not alone, that she has us and we are all here for her."

Clay scoffed. "Good luck getting Nick on board with that" he said with sarcasm. 

Jeremy closed his eyes and held his hands up. "I'll deal with Nick when he gets back, for now I just want you guys to talk to her and try to get her to open up about everything that happened with Negan. I do want to release her eventually but not until I know for sure she is no longer a threat and she is no longer the person that she was when we left her. Now that she believes Negan is dead, I don't foresee her running off. We are all she has now and I think that is what is going to help bring her back to us. I have a feeling that I am going to have my work cut out for me re-establishing myself as her alpha."

"You really think she doesn't look at you as alpha anymore?" Clay asked, slightly surprised that was even possible. Jeremy sadly shook his head. "No. I do not. Even though she was more receptive to me than I thought she would be, I could tell by the way she looked at me and the distance she kept. I fear that when we left her, her wolf decided to latch on to the next most dominant personality, she is the omega to our pack and omega's need an alpha role in their lives, whether they be human or wolf..."

As if Elena was able to put the pieces together, she picked her head up in realization. "Negan was her alpha" She breathed out in shock. Clay widened his eyes and Jeremy reluctantly shook his head. "And that is why she can't know that he is alive..."


	44. Reserve

6 years had past since Bree was reunited with her family. 6 long years. Eventually, Bree was let out of her cell but she was under strict watch from the pack. Things were quite difficult for a while with her but in time, with Jeremy's guidance and enforcement, things settled down between the five of them. 

The hardest part through out the whole process of re-establishing Bree to the pack, was her relationship with Nick. He still hadn't fully forgiven her for what she did to Rosita and Bree was still very on edge around him, more so than any of the others. Anytime he would make any reference about Negan, it was usually in a negative light and that was the easiest way to set Bree off. Anytime his name was mentioned, it would usually end in a screaming match with one of the pack members having to hold her back to prevent her from hurting Nick. Sometimes she would even find herself back in the cell to cool down. 

Jeremy had a long conversation with Nick and he basically told him and the pack that from now on, Negan's name is off limits when Bree is present. Jeremy made everyone vow to never let Bree get even the slightest idea that Negan might still be alive. He wanted her to move on and he knew that if she found out, nothing would stop her from trying to get to him. 

After Jeremy had this talk, things started to get better. It took a while but eventually the household calmed down, as well as Bree's temper. Her and Nick weren't the best of friends, but at least they were civil now and could get through the day without something getting thrown in Nick's direction. They could even hold a conversation at the dinner table and she no longer growled at him whenever he came near her on runs. 

Aside from Nick, Bree's relationship with her pack was almost back to normal. She was still a little distant with Jeremy, they didn't share the long talks that they used to but her respect for him was back and he could see that she was starting to trust him again like she used to. It was not easy, the first few years after she came back. She was constantly challenging Jeremy and testing the limits of his patience. 

Re-establishing himself as the alpha role in her life ended up being more difficult than he thought. In the beginning, when she first came to them after they found her in Bear Valley, out of all the pack members, she was the easiest to train and educate to pack ways. She never fought him, never had outbursts of aggression and he didn't even have to keep her in the cell in fear of her running off and getting into trouble, like he did with Elena. She had the most control over her wolf side that he had ever seen and being an Omega, she never gave him any trouble trying to test the limits.

This time, it was a totally different story. Between her fights with Nick, how she would test Jeremy's patience, and how she would never listen to his directions on runs, Jeremy was left with only one other option. Tough love. 

As much as he hated it, he had to go back to doing things the ancient way with her. Every time she had an outburst or an act of defiance, it would result in a two way sparring match out in the yard between her and Jeremy. Of course, Jeremy would always win. That was the point, to show her who was pack alpha and to show her that that kind of attitude she was presenting would no longer fly. She would come at him hard but he would put her down harder. Sometimes, depending on how serious the violation was, he would even have her change into a wolf and they would go at it again, just so both sides of her were on board with what was going on.

It hurt Jeremy to have to do things this way but she was leaving him with no other option. Eventually, his ideas of discipline worked and steadily she began to calm down. 

She got better and better over time and after 6 long years, she was the closest to the old Bree that he had ever seen. She was no longer violent and he didn't have to worry about her lashing out on anyone over something silly. It was good to have her back. 

On Bree's end, it took her a while to get over Negan. She was depressed for weeks after everything had happened and she had even contemplated ending her life a few times because she couldn't find a way to deal with his death.

She felt responsible.

If she could have just gotten to him sooner, she could have stopped Rick, She could have ran away with him and then he would still be here. 

But he wasn't...

If it wasn't for Elena and Clay, she wouldn't have been able to pull herself out of the darkness. They were persistent to get her to talk to them, they would tag team her multiple times through out the day. Even if she didn't want to talk, they would still sit with her to let her know that she was never alone, even though she didn't feel that way. 

Eventually, they got her to talk about her feelings and she spent many days crying into their arms about everything that she wished she could have done differently. It was nice talking to them because she never felt judged about her relationship with Negan, and they gave her good life lessons on how to deal with her emotions. Both Clay and Elena became her rock to get through this and even though Jeremy was a little disappointed that he was not the one to help her, he was happy that she found guidance through Clay and Elena. 

Even though the agreement was to keep Bree on the reserve with her pack, they still traded back and forth with Alexandria on a weekly basis. Both compounds decided it was silly to completely terminate their relationship with how everyone came together so they both decided to keep an open trade with each other. 

Since Jeremy and the pack were excellent hunters, they would provide meat for Alexandria, in exchange for produce and other various goods from scavenging trips. They would watch out for each other and report any herds of walkers they saw getting close. Even after Rick passed, they still kept this up when Michonne became leader, and it worked out. They were still leery around Bree, even though she tried to be friendly with them to put them at ease. She understood why but that didn't make it hurt any less. 

As time went on, Bree began to feel more and more like herself, they way she used to be since before her encounter with Malaki. She still thought about Negan from time to time and he would always have a special place in her heart, but in time, she was able to move on. She knew that is what he would have wanted, for her to live and be strong for him and she constantly had to remind herself of that whenever she would get sad. Luckily, Either Clay or Elena's shoulder wasn't far away for her to cry on whenever she would dwell but for the most part she was doing better.

One morning, Bree found herself awake early. She didn't know what time it was but it was still dark out and she was restless. She tried to go back to sleep several times but it was no use. She was wide awake and ready to start her day, so she did. She got up and there some clothes on and headed down stairs, careful to not wake up any of the others. 

Now that she was more trusted, Jeremy aloud her to have her own room, next to his and Clay and Elena's. She liked having her own space again and not being back in the cell for obvious reasons. 

When she arrived downstairs, she poured herself a glass of water and grabbed a granola bar and sat on the front steps of the cabin and ate her breakfast, watching the sun come up. 

It was very quiet and peaceful out this early in the morning, the only sounds that were to be heard were birds chirping off in the distance. Bree opened her mouth to yawn and ended up in a coughing fit. The air was thick with pollen from the leaves falling. Autumn was approaching fast and Bree could feel it in her sinuses. Her nose was clogged and her throat was scratchy. She took another sip of her water to try to relieve the feeling. "Ugh" Bree sighed. She hated this time of year, it was difficult for her to smell anything. 

She sat on the steps a little while longer while she finished her breakfast and contemplated going for a stroll by herself. Normally, this is something Jeremy wouldn't approve of, being that there could be walkers about and because she knew that he didn't have 100% trust in her yet (even though it was close) but they all weren't awake yet and judging by the lack of sun, they wouldn't be up for another few hours. She could easily slip away for a little while and be back before they woke, without them knowing she ever left. 

Without dwelling on it for another moment, Bree stood up and began to walk to the edge of the reserve. It felt good to be out by herself again. She missed her independence and she couldn't remember the last time that she was able to break away from her pack, even for just a little bit. Jeremy always kept such a close eye on her, she loved him but there were times where she felt suffocated. Everyone was entitled to some alone time every now and then, except her. Even though she was doing much better and getting along with people more than she did in the past, she knew Jeremy still looked at her like a loaded gun. 

She shrugged her feelings off and continued walking until she could barely make out where the cabin was. It was cool and breezy this morning, another sign that fall was approaching. Bree stopped and sighed contently and began to strip off her clothes. The only thing better than a peaceful walk this morning would be a run as a wolf. She wanted to feel free again. 

Once she shifted, she took off in a sprint through the clearing, into the woods. She put her nose to the ground, trying to see if she could smell a trail of something that she could possibly bring back for lunch later. Her nose was still pretty clogged but if she pressed down harder she could faintly make out the after smells of wildlife that could have potentially just passed through. 

She continued to press her nose into the ground, searching for a trail to follow, when something else caught her attention, making her pause. She smelt something oddly familiar. Something nice. 

Bree heavily blew out through her nose and then inhaled again, trying to free up some space for the scent to pass through but it was still difficult to to fully take in. From what she could make out, it smelled like something from her past, something that was comforting to her. She continued to follow it the best she could. 

It was difficult. She lost the scent quite a few times but was able to find it again. She was so occupied with finding where this smell was coming from, she didn't even realize the sun had been up for over an hour. Surely Jeremy and her pack would be waking up soon, but she didn't care. She had a feeling that once she got to the end of whatever this was, it would be worth the scolding she would get. 

She followed her nose to the end of a clearing and she was now on the brink of a near by town. Of course it was abandoned, just like everything else but at least now that she was on pavement, it would be easier to track the scent she was after. 

Her nose took her down a main street where various shops and stores bordered the edge of the road. She heard a commotion a few stores down that made her ears perk up. She cautiously trotted up to it and peaked inside. She didn't see any movement and she went to go step in but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard dogs barking and growling from the inside. 

This was strange that there was even any dogs still alive at this point, she had no clue how they managed to survive through all this and judging by the noise, there was definitely more than one. The noise of their barking faded to the back, giving her the impression that they were chasing something...Or someone. 

She had a strong instinct that they were going after whatever she was tracking and she'd be damned if she would let them get to it first...Whatever it was...

Bree gathered up some courage and bravely rushed into the store to investigate. A nasty dead smell crept it's way into her nostrils and filled the little bit of sense she had. She bared through it and cautiously walked towards the back exit, barely able to see anything because it was so dark. The barking had died down and she heard some slight growling now. 

She turned the corner to be greeted by not one, but three hungry looking dogs. Bree froze and so did they, as they had a stare off, looking surprised to see each other. There was two smaller looking cattle dogs and one big black dog that looked like a mastiff. They all growled at her and Bree growled back, raising her hackles and making herself look double the size. 

The two cattle dogs backed off in fear, not wanting to chance the fight but the black mastiff reared up at her. Bree peeled back her lips, showing her teeth, basically telling the mastiff to 'back off' and she continued to let out as loud of a growl as she could muster up. The two cattle dogs ran off, backing down from the challenge and the mastiff sprang forward, initiating the fight. Obviously the alpha of this pack. 

Even though Bree's wolf was bigger than him, he was powerful. They scrapped on the ground for a while, each trying to get the upper hand...Or in this case, paw.

Bree had managed to pin him down underneath her but she was losing grip fast. They were a mess of growls and teeth and the mastiff was able to pull away from her grasp. Once he was free, he spun around and grabbed Bree by the neck, locking his jaws into her skin. 

Bree let out a cry as she felt his teeth pierce her and she tried to thrash to get out of his grip but his jaws were like iron. She could feel her blood start to pool through her fur and she knew that if she didn't get away from him soon, she was going to have a problem. 

All the sudden, a man appeared from one of the top shelves above them. He must have been who the dogs were chasing in the first place and he had been hiding from them up there this whole time. Bree couldn't turn her head to see who it was but she watched him the best she could, sprinting away out of the corner of her eye to the nearest exit through the darkness. 

The mastiff saw the man run and was instantly no longer interested in Bree. His prey drive took over and he charged after the man, deciding he was what he wanted at the moment and both of them sprinted wildly down the long hallway towards the exit. Bree took off after them as well, trying to get to the mastiff before he got to the man and tore him to shreds. It was so dark, she was relying on her ears to direct where she was going. 

Bree was right behind the mastiff when the man reached the door. He thrust the door open, allowing light to pool in the room which blinded Bree, only to be greeted by a walker right outside the exit. 

'Wow this poor man has some shitty luck' Bree thought as she ran up to try to help. Before Bree could make it, the man hastily threw the walker inside where they were at and slammed the door shut, just managing to escape. It all happened so fast, She didn't get a chance to react.

Maybe not so unlucky after all.

Bree jerked her back legs out in front of her and came to a skidding stop as the mastiff and the walker collided right in front of her. She took this opportunity while both the mastiff and the walker were busy with each other to get the hell out of there and haul her ass in the opposite direction, running full speed out of the store. 

On her way out, she found an extra large mans T-shirt hanging on one of the racks. She snagged it off the hanger and carried it outside with her to safety. She wanted to see who this man was and she didn't think it would be a good idea to approach him as a wolf, especially after what he just went through. She quickly turned down the alleyway on the side of the building and dropped the shirt, shifting back to her human self as quick as she could.

She threw the shirt over her and noticed that her neck was sticky. She pulled her hand back to examine it and cursed under her breath. That stupid dog got her good. Her neck started to throb and she felt more blood begin to pour down her shoulder, soaking the sleeve of the shirt. "Shit" Bree cursed again. She had nothing to wrap herself up with so she applied pressure to slow the bleeding and continued down the alley way to the back exit where the man ran to. 

She turned the corner to see he was still there. 

He was hunched over with his face down, leaning against the door. He looked like he was out of breath and taking a moment to thank his lucky stars that he was still alive. 

Bree walked closer, accidently kicking a glass bottle, making a rattling noise that got the mans attention. He jerked his head up in surprise and Bree knew her eyes had to be deceiving her. 

She blinked at few times and she felt her heart rate start to go crazy when she realized that it wasn't a mirage or a look alike. 

"It...It's you" Was all she could muster up to say. The man looked back at her, just as surprised to see her as she was him. Their eyes stayed glued on each other for a moment as they took each other in.

She couldn't wrap her mind around that she was staring at Negan.

All the sudden Bree started to shake her head. "No...No...It can't be...You're dead! I watched you die! Your not real!" She cried. She was beginning to have a hard time breathing. 

"Bree...Bree it's me...It's me sweetheart, I'm here, it's OK, calm down baby" Negan said with the most tender of expressions. He slowly began to walk towards her, as if he was worried that the wrong move would make her vanish right before his eyes. 

"No" Bree breathed out, still haking her head. Tears starting to run down her face. Negan had tears in his eyes as well. 

Before Bree could say another word, she felt a wave of dizziness crash over her and she swayed back and forth. She started to hyperventilate and she couldn't breath. Her hand went to her throat and she remembered that she was bleeding and then things started to go dark. 

The last thing Bree heard was her name being called out in Negan's voice, right before she fainted. 

 

(Yay! got through my writers bock! I hope you all liked this chapter! I know it took me forever to write it but I hope I'm going in the direction that you guys wanted. Next chapter will have more Negan in it and I'm thinking it's gonna be a fluffer. Thankyou all so much for reading and being as into this story as you are! I really appreciated all the comments I got on the last one and hopefully I'll be quicker to update next time, now that I have a general idea of what I wanna do! Oh, and sorry if I was wrong on the time lapse, I wasn't sure so I just guessed about 6 years, If I'm wrong, just ignore that minor detail.)


	45. For One More Day

"Bree...Bree it's me...It's me sweetheart, I'm here, it's OK, calm down baby" Negan said with the most tender of expressions. He slowly began to walk towards her, as if he was worried that the wrong move would make her vanish right before his eyes.

What were the odds of this?

Negan knew he had to be dreaming for Bree...His girl, to be standing right in front of him, in the flesh! He supposed that fate worked in mysterious ways but he would have never thought in his whole life time that it would have worked out this much in his favor. This was crazy!

Negan noticed she began to sway and her hand went to her neck. He was able to tear his conscious away from the pure shock of seeing her after all these years to notice she had a wound on her neck. 

"Shit! BREE!" Negan called out to her as began to run at her as she fell to the ground. 

Luckily he was able to catch her before her head bounced on the pavement. He knelt down and cradled her head in the nook of his elbow, lifting her up to examine her with his other hand firmly holding her cheek. He couldn't help but smile. It was her alright! He held her tightly and placed a sweet kiss upon her forehead, purely from the thrill of seeing her. 

Negan noticed blood starting to drip on his forearm and he cursed and set her down for a moment to rip off the sleeve of the shirt he was wearing. He bundled up the cloth and pressed it firmly against the side of her neck, watching the white cloth turn red. 

"OK, you're OK, you're OK" He repeated, as if she could hear him. He was glad that she was unable to hear the worry in his voice. He nervously looked around to make sure nothing or no one was around to sneak up on them. When he saw that they were alone, he moved to a squatting position, juggling Bree in his arms and then hoisted her up in the air, carrying her to a nearby stream. 

He didn't know he had nearly enough karma points to cash in to be able to even chance running into Bree like this. God knows how much he missed her! She was the sole reason that he kept going, in hopes to see her again one day. She was his rock through everything and he couldn't wait till she woke up so he could hear what she has been up to all these years. He loved her, and he couldn't wait to be able to tell her that again in more than just a muffled whisper. 

As he was walking, he remembered what she said before she fainted about him being dead. 'Hm....Well that explains a lot' He thought to himself. He figured that she was banished from Alexandria and forbidden to see him, but the girl that he remembered had a persistent attitude and surly she would have found out a way to bust him out by now, or at the very least grant him a visit or two. Unless she thought he was dead... 

Negan glared at the thought of them giving her the impression that Rick killed him. Granted, he was a son of a bitch back then, he could admit that now but that was just cruel to do to her and she didn't deserve that. He couldn't imagine what she must have went through at the time. 

Truth be told, he thought about her every day. He would try to bargain and make meaningless deals with Rick to try to let him see her but Rick would always evade his requests with questions pertaining to his redemption, or just ignore them completely. He wondered if Rick knew that Bree was under the impression that he was dead or if that was just some half-assed story that her family concocted up to make things easier. 

Whatever it was, he didn't care. They had found each other and that was all that mattered. Maybe it was always meant to be this way. 

Negan gently set Bree down next to the edge of the stream. He knelt down next to her and removed the piece of cloth that he tore from his shirt and soaked it in the water, ringing it out and dunking it again. He wiped at the gash on her neck and he was impressed. It had already stopped bleeding and it was just starting to show signs of scabbing over. "Damn shifters" Negan muttered, praising her healing abilities. He knew that she was going to be fine. 

He took the cloth and swished it in the water again and partially wrung it out, this time placing it on her forehead. The coolness of it made Bree stir and Negan felt his heart do jumping jacks from the signs that she was waking up. 

Bree furrowed her eyebrows and drew in a sharp breath. "Bree...Bree sweetheart wake up...That's it...Wake up baby girl" Negan soothed, trying to contain the excitement in his voice. She opened her eyes to meet a pair of familiar brown eyes and a charming smile. 

She slowly rose up from his lap, not breaking eye contact with his face as her eyes grew wide. 

...It really was him... 

Negan continued to smile as she reached out with both hands and touched his face, speechless that he was actually sitting in front of her. He looked different. She saw some more prominent age lines that weren't there before, he had more salt than pepper in his shorter hair and he definitely lost some weight. But she didn't care, it was still him!

A cheery smile slowly spread to her face as the realization hit her. "Oh my God! Negan!" She cried out before she threw herself at him. "Whoa!" Negan exclaimed.

The force of her colliding into him knocked Negan to the ground flat on his back with Bree climbing on top of him. She pressed her lips firmly to his and gripped the sides of his face as if she would never let him go. His arms groped around her, holding her close to him as he ran his hands all over her body, getting reacquainted with every curve and every dip she had to offer. 

She could feel his heart beating underneath her while hers felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. She couldn't believe that he was alive! After a few minutes of intense kissing and heavy petting, Bree pulled her head away from his to study his face again. He flashed an iconic smile and wiggled his eye brows at her, dipping his forehead into hers. 

"Oh my goodness! You have no idea how much I've missed you! I thought I would never see you again! Jeremy told me you were dead!" Bree cried, still holding his face in her hands, almost afraid to let him go. Negan sat up with her still clinging to him, using one hand to prop himself up while the other remained around her waist. 

"Pfft...You can't kill me...I'm a survivor, I ain't dying until I'm good and ready to" Negan scoffed. There was that cocky personality she never thought she would miss so much. 

Negan pressed his forehead back into hers and dropped his voice to a more sincere tone and said "But I sure as hell am thrilled as fuck that we found each other...I really missed you dear, I never thought I would get another chance to tell you how much I love you."

Bree felt her heart flutter at his words and she gave him smitten eyes. Without hesitation she said "I love you too! I love you so much!"

They shared another passionate kiss as she straddled his lap and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck. Bree couldn't help but smile into his kisses as she felt a bulge start to form in Negan's lap under where she was straddling him. 

She slightly pulled away to look down at his crotch and then looked back at him with a smirk. Negan held a guilty expression and shrugged. "Sorry...What can I say, it's been a while" He said honestly. 

Bree couldn't help but laugh, which was like music to Negan's ears, and she went back to kissing him, savoring the taste of his lips. She began to grind her hips into his, over his now even more prominent erection, teasing him and riling him up even to the point where he was just about bursting at the seams. He moaned into her lips, instantly wanting more. 

He pulled away for a brief moment and looked at her seriously. She smiled and gave him a little nod and then they were back at it again, even rougher than before. They each started to add biting in the mix as Bree moved down to undo the button of his pants. He scooted back until his back was leaning against a nearby tree and she helped him pull his pants down so she had access to his member. Running her hands up and down his smooth shaft, she began to play with him while she continued to thrust her hips into his, dry humping him until he couldn't take it anymore. 

He had been locked up for so long, he was beginning to lose control of himself. Luckily, all Bree was wearing was a big t-shirt from when she shifted earlier so needless to say, access was easy. 

Once he was fully sheathed inside her Bree let out a gasp and together they rhythmically rocked back and forth into each other. Negan let out a fierce grunt and took his hands off of her for a moment to hoist her shirt up over her head so she was bare in front of him. It had been so long and he wanted to see ALL of her.

Bree let out a slight shiver from the cool air hitting her sensitive skin but didn't slow her pace. She felt so good all over, she didn't want this to end. Negan wrapped his warm hands around her middle, the roughness of his fingers sending goosebumps all over he skin, she let out a little moan through her wild panting. 

She then arched her back all the way so her stomach was pressing firmly into Negan's chest and put her hands back on his thighs to create a different angle and allowing Negan to go deeper. She started to use more force in her thrusts as she began to feel her release creeping up on her. She assumed the same was happening for Negan based off the noises he was starting to make. 'I guess it has been a while for both of us' she thought as she rolled her hips into his, using his pelvic bone to create more friction on her more sensitive parts. 

Negan's hands trailed up her stomach and over her breasts. They were just as perky as they were all those years ago and he loved them. He snaked an arm around the arch of her back and pulled her closer so he could bite and run his tongue over her nipples, causing them to harden. 

Bree removed her hands from his thighs and placed them back around his head, cradling his face and pressing her chest further into him. In a matter of minutes they both came undone in each other, with Negan pulling out at the very last second to avoid any future complications. 

Panting and with the biggest smile on her face, Bree dropped her hands to rest on the top of his shoulders and dipped her forehead into his. Negan's hand came up and he rubbed the side of her face, returning the smile. "I love you" She whispered, just because she wanted to say it as many times as she could now that God had finally answered her prayers from all those years ago and finally gave her the opportunity to. 

"I love you too sweetheart...Hee hee...Sorry I couldn't go as long as we used to...What can I say, it's been awhile" He said with a guilty smirk. Bree shook her head and had to stifle a laugh. "I don't care, it was perfect...We have plenty of time to try for a better record".

Negan's grin slowly lit up his face. "Yeah...We do, don't we?" He said, feeling the happiest he had been in six years. Bree nodded her head and placed another sweet kiss on his lips. 

After she pulled away, Negan just studied her face as if her were trying to memorize every last detail. Bree slightly turned away out of bashfulness and smiled. As she was able to get over the initial shock of being back with him, questions flooded her mind. 

"What happened that day out in the field Negan?" She asked, trying to figure out how it was possible that he was still alive. Negan sighed and adjusted himself with her still on his lap. 

"As much as it pains me to say...Rick fucking won" 

Bree tilted her head and let him continue. "Fucking Eugene rigged all the ammo he was working on so it would backfire, taking out more than half our people and then Rick had gotten the upper hand and slit my throat...He nearly killed me...And then he saved me...Let their new doctor sew me up like some kind of rag doll"

Bree's face crinkled in confusion. "But why?" She asked. She knew the hatred that brewed between them and she didn't understand why Rick would save him. 

Negan sighed again and frowned, hesitating on answering her question. "Because it was what Carl wanted...After Carl died, he wrote letter to everyone basically saying that he wanted us to end the violence and Rick decided to abide by his dying with. He kept me alive and locked in a cell all these years to use me as an example to keep people in line...If it wasn't for you, I think I would have lost my damn mind in that hell hole." Negan explained.

Bree pulled her head back at his words. "Me? What could I have possibly done?" She questioned, not understanding what he was saying. 

Negan started to smile and he leaned forward to place a kiss on her lips. "I thought about you every day, I thought about what it would be like to see you again and that gave me hope. I wanted to be a better man for you, if I ever had any chance of getting out of there. You didn't deserve all the shit I put you through back then in the beginning and it took all this bull shit to happen for me to realize that. You stuck by me even when I was a jackass...You were the only one...You always were...I'm so sorry Bree...I'm so sorry for everything I did..."

Much to Bree's surprise, he choked out the last line. For the first time, she actually saw him cry. He rested his head against her shoulder and she could feel him fighting his raw emotions that were pouring out of him. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close to her, listening to his light sniffling and shedding a few tears of her own. It was the first time she had ever seen him this vulnerable and it was all for her. Maybe he really had changed?

They stayed like this for a few minutes. Negan finally pulled away and wiped his face, letting out a little chuckle at himself from how he just spilled his guts to her. 

Bree rubbed his face and looked at him sincerely. "I thought you were dead all these years, I really did" Bree started to explain her side of things. "They locked me in a cell too, I guess Jeremy didn't trust that I wouldn't go on a suicide mission to Alexandria, and boy did I want to" She said looking down between them. Negan's eyes softened from her words but he continued to listen. 

"It took a long time for me to get over it...You...I didn't want to talk to anyone, I didn't want to shift, I just wanted to be alone...I felt like my world just crashed in on me and I just couldn't find a way out. I was so angry at everyone, it took years for me to forgive and put it behind me. I blamed everyone, including myself. I think even Jeremy was at a loss so he just gave me my space...I could tell he was disappointed in me. It was Clay and Elena who really pulled me out of the dark. They never gave up on me and they sat with me the most, giving me someone to vent my frustrations to. I felt like they were the only ones who understood and I never felt judged by them."

As Bree explained, Negan kept his hands on her, using his thumbs to rub little circles on her skin. He could see she was starting to get upset all over again and he pulled her into a hug. 

"Alright...Enough of all this morbid shit...All that matters is that we are together again and if this whole experience had taught me anything, it is to never take anything for granted" Negan changed the subject. Bree gave him a solunm nod and looked away. 

Negan pulled a corner of his lip back and said "Come on, get up", giving her a pat.

Bree looked at him in slight alarm. "Why? What are we doing?" She asked, not sure what was going on. "Just get up, trust me" He said, giving her a reassuring smile. 

Bree stood up and held out a hand to Negan to help him up. When he stood up, he grabbed her shirt and handed it to her to put on. When she was somewhat clothed, he then grabbed her hand and started to pull her along the stream, still not hinting where they were going. Bree had no choice but to follow, figuring that eventually she would see what he had up his sleeve... 

 

(Ok I think I finally have an ending worked out....There's gonna be a few more chapters of angst so just bare with me but I can promise you that this story will have a happy ending. I've come this far, I really wanna do it the right way. I can't just cut this story off as they ran away and lived happily ever after, there's too many factors and loose ends to tie up, Thank you all again for reading and sticking by this story!)


	46. Hand In My Hand

(The best way to cure writers block is to just start writing....We'll see how this goes lol)

 

"Can you at least give me a hint of where we are going? We've been walking for almost an hour" Bree whined, stumbling behind Negan who still had a hold of her hand. "Ohh quit your griping, we are almost there, trust me, you're gonna love this" Negan sassed back, giving her hand a little squeeze. Bree gave him a playful eye roll and let him continue to lead the way.

"Well...Here we are...I came across this place when I was looking for the town that you found me in" Negan said proudly. Bree was speechless. Nowadays in this world, it was extremely rare to come across any kind of natural beauty but the place the Negan had led her to was absolutely gorgeous! 

The stream that they had followed opened up to a big open lake with a dock, surrounded by trees. They were just getting into their fall season and everything was painted in a mixture of reds, yellows, and greens, with a few late blooming flowers scattered here and there in the trees. The sound of the trickling stream near by provided a nice and peaceful sound to this tranquil place Negan just happened to stumble upon. 

"Wow" Bree breathed out, taking in their new setting. Negan turned to Bree, biting his lip out of excitement and his eyebrows raised. "Wellllll...Whatcha think?" he asked eagerly. 

"Oh my God Negan! I love it! This place is beautiful!" Bree exclaimed, putting a hand to her heart. Neagn excitedly grabbed her hands and said "See! I told ya it was worth it! After all these years, I still know you so well!"

Bree blushed and smiled, rising up on her tip toes to give him a kiss. They shared a moment and when Bree pulled away, Negan had a mischievous grin on his face. He never let go of her hand and he started pulling her backwards towards the dock. "What are you doing?" Bree asked, eyeing him suspiciously. She knew that look on his face all to well to know he was up to no good. 

"Come on Bree, I didn't bring you all the way here just to stare at it" He said, as he released her hand to take off his shirt. Bree blinked a few times and groaned. "Ohh nooo...Negaaaannn, come on, I can still get the full experience admiring it from the dock, is it absolutely necessary that we go in? It's probably freezing" Bree said, feeling uneasy. 

Negan nodded his head enthusiastically while flicking his eye brows at her. Once they got closer to the dock, Bree dug her heels into the ground. "Compromise...How about you just go in and I watch?" Bree suggested, really not in the mood to get in the water. 

Negan paused and looked at her. He saw the look on her face and he sighed. "You really don't want to go in do ya?" He said, deepening his tone. Bree bit her lip and shook her head back and forth. "Alright, suit yourself" He said. Before Bree could respond, Negan let go of her hand, running into the water, doing a canon ball. 

Bree's jaw dropped at his brazenness to jump right in. She couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his child-like behavior. "Come on Bree, you're missing out girl! The water feels great!" Negan said with a big smile on his face. Bree rolled her eyes, walking to the edge of the dock. "Yeah sorry, not buying it" She continued to protest.

Negan swam over to the dock where she was standing and playfully spat water at her. Bree shrieked and he couldn't help but laugh. "You gotta admit, this is romantic as fuck! You know I did good" Negan boasted. "Yeah, not so much when you say it like that" Bree giggled. 

Negan smiled at her as he continued to swim around, enjoying the water. He swam up to her again, wadding in front of the dock, watching her with a little gleam in his eyes.

Bree smiled back at him and she started to say something to him when he was abruptly pulled under water. 

Bree stood up instantly in worry and called out his name. "NEGAN!" She yelled, trying to see if she could see through the water, looking for him. The only response given were air bubbles bursting through the surface. Without hesitation, Bree dove in the water, desperate to save him. 

The water was dark so she couldn't see anything. She tried her best to feel around, hoping to grab some part of him. Her fear was that a walker had grabbed him and dragged him to the bottom. She quickly resurfaced for air and went back under, in attempt to look for him again. 

When she was unsuccessful a second time, she rose back up to the top in a panic and hastily looked around for him, crying out his name. He was no where to be found. Her heart was racing.

Just when she was going to go back under to search for him again, she paused at the sound of a slow evil chuckle. 

Her face turned into a scowl and she slowly turned around to see Negan, casually propped against one of the posts on the dock with his arms crossed and giving her a big cheshire grin. 

Even though she was pissed, she was thrilled to see him. Though, like hell she would let him know that...

"AGHH! YOU ASSHOLE!" She yelled angrily, wadding back and forth in the water. "That wasn't funny Negan! I thought a walker grabbed you!" 

Negan continued to laugh at her. "Gotcha in didn't I?" Relax Bree, I couldn't let you deny yourself this experience , you should be thanking me!" He said, dramatically moving his body as he talked. 

Bree growled in frustration. "You are such a jerk! I told you I didn't want to go in! Now this shirt is going to take forever to dry! You just HAD to have things your way didn't you?! Ugh! You haven't changed a bit!" she continued to go off on him.

Negan wasn't phased one bit by her tantrum. He just continued to look at her with a smirk. Once she calmed down, he cocked an eye brow at her and asked "Are you done?" 

Bree crossed her arms and angrily looked to the side, avoiding his glance. When her eyes wandered back to his, he was still smirking at her with a stupid face and she couldn't help but laugh. 

"Ahhh...What am I going to do with you?" She groaned, pushing her hair back off of her face. "I could think of a few things, but they won't exactly be G rated" Negan said, wiggling his eye brows at her. 

Bree rolled her eyes and swam to the ladder of the dock. Negan offered her a hand to help her up and she took it, slightly falling into his bare chest on the last step. 

She tried to muster one last glare at him but he had such a goofy smile on his face she couldn't help but laugh at him. 

"You're lucky you're so cute" She teased, reaching up to stroke the side of his face. "Can't say that hasn't gotten me out of trouble in the past" Negan said, giving her a wink. 

Bree smiled and leaned in to kiss him. He did the same, closing his eyes as he closed the distance between them....Which Bree was hoping he would do. 

When he was only centimeters away from her face, her hand that she had around his face snaked down to his torso and with one rough shove, she pushed him back into the water. 

When he came up to the surface, Bree jumped in right next to him, engulfing him in her splash. 

They stayed like this for the rest of the day, laughing and playing in the water with each other. They didn't talk about the past, nor the future, they just lived in the moment for how ever long it would last. Bree knew that they were going to have this conversation about what's next eventually, but right now, he was so happy, she didn't want to ruin it so she just played along. 

And he was happy. Bree had never seen this version of Negan before. He was a whole different person. So carefree and almost child-like, she couldn't help but smile and laugh at his antics. Perhaps this was the real Negan, not the leader of the Sanctuary. 

Bree was actually finding that she liked this Negan better. There was no act, not tough exterior, no show...Just her and Negan, having a good time. All that time locked up had changed him and Bree was truly starting to believe it was for the better. She had never seen him like this before. 

When they both decided they had enough swimming for the day, Bree could tell by the position of the sun that they needed to start figuring out what their next move would be. Negan told her that there was a neighborhood near by that they could shack up in, so they began the journey. 

About an hour later, they found a nice abandoned house to call home for the night. After they cleared the place and decided it was safe, Bree took off upstairs to search for some clothes while Negan raided the kitchen for food.

Bree had to admit that this was a nice house. As she looked around, she got the impression that it once belonged to two adults and two kids, a boy and a girl, but that was obviously a long time ago. 

Sure it wasn't as nice as her home that she shared with her family in Bear Valley, but it was still impressive. As she was digging through the master closet, she was fantasizing about a life in this house with Negan, before the world fell. It made her wonder what he was like back in those days. 

Bree had tons to chose from in the closet so she threw on a baggy T-shirt and a pair of PJ bottoms for comfort. She managed to find similar attire for Negan as well. She heard him yell "JACKPOT" downstairs, so she padded down to see what goodies he found. 

Negan stacked multiple cans of food in a pile on the island in the kitchen and even found a few bags of chips in his search. Bree turned into the kitchen and smiled at his findings. His smile grew even bigger when he saw her reaction. "Were eating good tonight!" He cheered as he reached for a can. "Wow, this looks really good actually, if you don't look at the expiration date" Bree joked, picking up a can of chili. 

"Pfft...There's no such thing as expiration dates anymore" Negan scoffed, taking the can from her so he could open it. "Yeah I guess you're right" Bree said as she watched him. 

They chatted a bit more about what they both have been up to all these years they have been apart as they ate. Granted, Negan didn't have as much to talk about being stuck in an 8X10 cell all this time, but the little bit that he could share, Bree still found amusing. It had been a while since Bree had stepped foot in Alexandria, due to the agreement that was in place to keep an open trade with her family, so she enjoyed hearing what everyone was up to. 

She knew of Rick's passing but she didn't know that Michonne had another child. Negan talked about Judith and what a pistol she turned out to be. It seemed that her and Father Gabriel were his main visitors, but she enjoyed hearing about Judith more. She wished things would have turned out differently so she could have met her. 

Once they finished their food, it was already way past dark so Her and Negan decided to retire for the night up in the master bedroom. When they arrived Negan jumped on the bed, making the whole bed frame shake, and he gladly put his hands behind his head in comfort. 

"Ahh...Oh man this is great! Definitely way better than that skimpy cot they gave me back at the cell" He said happily. Bree smiled. Every time she looked at him he was always smiling. 

Bree curled up next to him, wiggling against him to get comfortable. Negan instinctively put his arms around her, spooning behind her and practically engulfing her in his frame. They both sighed contently and silence filled the room. 

Then Bree's thought's started to invade her mind. 

"Negan?" Bree asked, breaking the silence. "What is is baby?" Negan said in a low voice. 

"What are we going to do?" She asked, finally bringing up what she had been trying to suppress since the moment she found him. 

Negan sighed. He was quiet for a moment before he spoke. 

"You know I love you more than the world right?" He asked. Already Bree didn't like where this was going. 

"Of course" she replied. He paused for a moment, as if he were trying to carefully pick his next set of words. 

"You know, after your first change in front of me...All you could talk about was that family of yours...Granted I wasn't the most understanding guy back then, but I knew that they were something special to you. You have quite a history there and even though you haven't always been on the best of terms with them, it sounds like they pulled you out of the mud multiple times."

"Yeah but this is the same family that let me believe that you were dead for all these years, this is also the same family that abandoned me after...You know who" Bree argued. 

Negan sighed again. "Bree, we all make mistakes, no one is perfect. I'm sure Jeremy had some regrets about that. You always told me that he was the closest thing to a father you ever had. The night me and my guys bombed into Alexandria, I got to talk to him. I know that he loves you as his daughter, he's a good guy. Sweetie, you gotta look at the situation from outside the box here, what father in their right mind would be OK with their daughter being with someone like me? Especially with how I was back then, I sure as shit know I wouldn't be." Negan reasoned. 

Bree let his words sink in. For some reason, when Negan explained her situation, it made sense. Maybe she was just too much in her head and in her emotions to see that he was right. He was right all along. She did love her family and she knew that they loved her. 

"Now with that said, I'm sorry darling but I can't be the one to take you away from them. You have a good thing going on with them and I'm just not worth it to throw away. I don't want you to do that. I'm sure that they are out there right now, worried sick about you. They have probably been looking for you all day and hell, they are probably still out there looking for you."

Bree blinked at his words and looked down between them, knowing that he was probably right. She looked back up into his eyes and pressed against him with sincerity. "So what does this mean for us?" She asked, afraid to know the answer. 

Negan looked down at her. He gave her a reassuring smile and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. 

"Tomorrow, I am going to take you back to your family...We are going to do this the _right_ way. Now that you know I am alive and well, I trust you enough to know that you will find a way for us to be together. You cannot throw away all your relationships for me, I won't let you. Deep down I'm sure you know this is the right thing to do."

Bree's eyes started to water at the thought of being separated from him again. "But...But we just found each other, please Negan, I don't want to lose you again" She pleaded. Her cries were breaking Negan's heart but he still remained firm. 

"You are not going to lose me sweetheart, you know where I will be and you know what you have to do. Now that I got something to live for, I will wait for you, however long it takes. You gotta make things right with your pack first. Family is _always_ first, and please, go easy on Jere...He was just trying to be a good father to you."

Bree nodded and pressed her face against Negan's chest, letting out soft and heartfelt cries. They didn't say anything more.

They enjoyed each others company for the rest of the night, knowing that more than likely, they would be separated by tomorrow night. 

Sure enough, when morning came, Negan stayed true to his promise and together, they walked back to her family's reserve, hand in hand.


End file.
